The Golden Rose of Konoha (Naruto Seed Fic)
by CuteCat213
Summary: Naruto's never fit in well with her sister, father and clan. She can't do the clan jutsu, and doesn't like studying. Luckily, her mother knows exactly what it's like to not fit, and to make her mark on skill and determination alone. Look out, old man, the first female Hokage will be Naruto Yamanaka! (Fem!Naruto, slight SM crossover, seed fic Yamanaka adopt Naru)
1. Chapter 1

**This is a seedfic, meaning it's something I came up with off the top of my head and HAD to write, but have little to no intention of continuing. If you want to continue it from the endpoint here on, feel free. (The difference between an adoptable and seedfic: adoptables are removed from their original owner's pages and given to the adopter, seedfics stay on the writer's page are blatant encouragements to continue the created world for any authors that feel up to the challenge.)**

 **Rules:  
Write from the endpoint onward. OR:  
Feel free to change a few things if you absolutely must, but mention what it is you changed (and why would be nice).  
You link back to this fic or name it in the Author's note of the very first chapter so people can read the original.  
Let me know when you take up the challenge via either review or PM so I can see what you've grown from the seed I planted~  
And finally, have fun!**

 **My Notes:**

 **I saw one too many FemNaruto fics, and, as others before me, took it upon myself to make Naruto and Ino relatives~!**

 **I've taken it upon myself to change Ino's mother. She's close enough to in looks to the one I was thinking of anyway... So, for the sake of this seed\fic, Inochi's wife is one Makoto Kino from Sailor Moon.**

 **I'm not counting this as a crossover because I only have one character from the other world in here (and with no senshi powers\memory\whatever else), she's more of a cameo. But, that might change if anyone else writes from here on~**

 **And this was all written just so I could write that last scene, which was inspired by the song Let It Go from the movie Frozen.**

 **Other Possible Titles:  
The Petal Storm Shinobi  
Flower Petal Maelstrom  
Bloom  
Flower Girls  
(Alluding to possible dual Affinities) Earth and Sky  
(In reference to the inspiring song) Let It Go**

* * *

Inoichi was the one to step forward, "I'll take her."

Hiruzen and the other clan heads all turned to him, but the blonde didn't back down in the face of all those stares- some confused, others frustrated.

"I'll take her. My wife won't mind another daughter, and I know Minato would have done the same for me if it was my child. So I'll raise her."

The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, handed the squirming, crying bundle over, and with the experience of a father, he shushed her. Baby blue eyes opened as, for the first time since they'd found out about her, she quieted. He tilted his head to get a better look at her whisker marks, smiling as she did the same.

Hiruzen nodded at him, cutting off Hiashi Hyuuga before he could protest and call -again- for the babe's death. Jiraiya stepped in front of him and spoke over his shoulder, "Go on and take her home, we'll deal with things here."

Inoichi quietly thanked him and left, shielding the newborn from the smoke rising from several still-burning fires. The village was still in crisis and the clan heads felt they had nothing more important to do than argue over the small Kyuubi-babe. Inoichi knew his own clan would be suffering in mourning in the coming days. But here, in his arms and tucked against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, was a shining bright spot in all the doom and gloom surrounding them. A little baby girl that slept peacefully and trustingly in his hold. He would not let her down.

There was no need for silence as he walked into the compound, shinobi around waiting in tense readiness relaxing at seeing their clan leader safe and back. He hesitated for only a moment on his own doorstep before entering, watching his wife rock their fussing young daughter, lines of worry around her eyes, until she looked up and saw him. She smiled at him, gratefully, joyously, happy to have him home, safe.

His own was less certain as she caught sight of the bundle he held, "Inoichi, what do you have there?"

"Eheh... Well, let's put it this way... It's my turn to surprise you with a daughter."

She nestled their daughter into the crook of her own arm and reached for the baby he was carrying. He obliged by placing her in his wife's free arm. She looked over the sleeping blonde, "Oh... She's precious." she cooed, expression softening. She looked up at him, "But I don't understand, where...?"

"Minato... he didn't make it."

"I see." She stared down at the baby girl snuggling herself against the warmth of the woman's side, "Well then, what are we going to name her?"

"Ino-"

" _No._ " Inoichi froze, the aura coming from his wife making him glad her hands were full with children so she couldn't throw a vase of flowers at his head as she tended to do when he angered her.

"But-"

" _No_. You named our first child- unoriginal as it was, I let you because Ino is your heir. But _I_ will be naming our new baby."

Inoichi, Jounin of Konohagakure, proud head of their clan, withered and pouted under his wife's stare, "Yes, dear..."

Makoto looked down lovingly at the little one, dropped into their lives like a whirlwind from nowhere, and smiled at her, "Let's see..." Even just a baby, Ino was a quiet child. Mindful, watching. She took in the world around her. Like a true Yamanaka: observant. This little girl, though, even now, in sleep, she wiggled about like she just couldn't sit still. Makoto giggled at her. _This_ little girl, her second daughter, she wasn't going to sit calmly and watch the world pass her by, she was going to take it by storm, she just knew; mother's intuition. _Yes, that works._ "Her name will be Naruto."

"...The fishcake?"

Glaring, vivid green eyes had him backing up defensively and Makoto instinctively looked for the closest thing to throw at his big, fat head, " _Not_ a fishcake! Maelstrom." She smiled down at her little girl, "My little sea storm."

Risking his wife's legendary anger, Inoichi crept closer to look at the little golden-blonde as she wiggled her way next to her big sister, a smile overtaking his face, "Naruto.'

* * *

"Kaachan! Kaachan!"

Makoto turned and dropped to her knees to receive her younger daughter, "What's wrong my sea little storm?"

Naruto looked up at her with ocean-blue eyes glassy with tears and a trembling smile, "I got p-picked on. These stupid boys called me n-names, and one pushed me. So I pushed back and beat them up! I w-won."

She ran a hand through the little girl's blonde bangs, no doubt Ino was already telling her father. "I'm so proud of you. Make sure you teach those little pri- ah, _brats_ , that girls aren't weak little things to be picked on. Come on, let me see your battle wounds."

Naruto's little smile grew bigger and less wavery, pulling off her bright jacket to show some bad scrapes- most already starting to heal. But Makoto picked her up anyway and set her on the bench behind her, where she'd been working on their garden, kneeling down and reaching back without looking for the plant she knew was there. She brought it forward, nipping off the bottom and squeezing out the sticky, numbing sap to dab at the healing boo-boos. Naruto didn't even wince, the numbing ability going to work, but her big blue eyes at least doubled in size.

"Ooooohhh."

Makoto smiled up at her, "Magic flowers. Don't let any boy ever tell you flowers are useless."

Naruto nodded, "Got it~!"

Finally, Makoto leaned forward and kissed the tiny injuries, completing her obligatory mommy-first-aid duties, because any treatment was never finished without a kiss. When she stood up and held her hand out to help Naruto off the tall bench, they turned to see Inoichi and Ino standing by the gate, the younger blonde hiding half behind her father. He nudged her out and Makoto did the same for Naruto, "Go on, now, go play with your sister."

The little firecracker hugged her around her knees before shooting off towards her sister with a huge grin, erasing Ino's worries and potential tears as she gestured enormously around her and grabbed her hand, "Ino-nee! You shoulda seen it! Kaasan fixed me wif _magic flowers_! C'mon! Let's play!"

Inoichi moved next to her as their children took off, "Was she okay?"

Makoto cast her husband a scathing glance, "Of course she was. She kicked those little pricks' asses. What else do you expect from _my_ daughter?" Inoichi facepalmed at his lovely wife. Makoto became more serious as she watched the young girls tumble about, "I should teach her more taijutsu."

"They're babies still."

She gave him a sharp look, "Even the toughest nut can be cracked, love. She needs whatever help she can be given. If someone tries to stomp my little sea storm down, the bastard's going to be surprised by the chestnut shell I help her build around herself. Naruto and I aren't Yamanaka by blood, and we can't cling to our names for protection all the time."

Inoichi looked down at Makoto and didn't see the loving wife and mother she'd happily become in the last few years, he saw the kunoichi that had first gotten his attention by utterly kicking his ass in a taijutsu match. He personally believed everyone had breathed a sigh of relief when Makoto had retired to raise their children instead of coming back from maternity leave. Makoto wouldn't coddle her daughters, she'd teach them to take life by the horns and put it down hard.

She watched Ino and Naruto as they laughed and played, "Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself and force the world to notice you by sheer bad-assery."

Inoichi sighed and rubbed Makoto's shoulder as she planned. He felt a little pity for the next boys that picked on Naruto. Only a little pity, though, after all, that was still his baby girl.

* * *

Makoto snickered, watching Naruto give her damnedest to lift a rock and help her in her landscaping. She did this every spring: rearranged the entire garden, shifted the boulders around, expanding her already-vast repertoire of plants and vegetables. Some she sold at her flower shop, something she'd dreamed of owning since she was a small girl, and others she used as natural medicine, for her own clan and some select times for the hospital when they needed it. The vegetables all went into her outstanding -if she did say so herself, and she did- home cooking. No shinobi could train if they didn't have the proper diet.

Makoto took extreme pride in the fact that she could get Naruto to eat vegetables when no one else could. Inoichi couldn't get her to eat veggies if he used his mind-body transfer Jutsu. But Kaachan made them 'amazingly un-disgusting'.

She shook her head, stood behind Naruto as she tried to lift the boulder, bolstered her muscles with Chakra, and lifted, helping the little blonde move it across the yard. Naruto looked at the end result with her hands akimbo on her hips and nodded in satisfaction. Makoto held in her laughter valiantly as she watched. She giggled and fluffed Naruto's blonde hair, "I think that's enough heavy lifting for right now. How about helping me plant some new flowers?"

Naruto looked up at her and nodded happily, "Sure!"

Makoto led them over to the new bed she was making, plants already there. She let her chakra leak out into the dark earth, enriching it even more, and making it easier to move. She dug her hands into the soil and made a hole for the first of the flowers, absentmindedly telling Naruto all of it's properties as she went. The good and bad that could be done with just an unassuming flower. How the ones best for medicines usually made equally as potent poisons. This was Makoto's calling: her dual chakra natures so in tune with who she was. Earth and Lightning.

"Kaachan?"

She looked over at the suddenly lack-luster blonde, "Hmm?"

"Do you think... do you think I'm a failure?"

Makoto froze. Whoever had called her little sea storm a failure was going to see just what a 'retired' kunoichi could do to protect her children, "Where did you get that idea?"

"I can't do any of the clan Jutsus like Ino-nee can. Maybe I'm not Yamanaka enough like Neechan and Tousan."

Makoto's expression softened and she pushed the dirt from her fingers with a pulse of chakra to run them through Naruto's bangs, "You're not a failure. And you're just as Yamanaka as I am, so if you aren't Yamanaka enough, then I'm not either." She looked around obviously, then leaned in close and winked, "We can still kick their butts, though. I think that makes up for it."

Naruto looked pensive for only a moment more, then nodded determinedly and set about to planting the flowers with a will, as if she could make up for her lack of genjutsu with sheer determination in flower-planting. Makoto knew exactly what her daughter was feeling: she'd never been particularly gifted in genjutsu, either, getting next to no benefit from the Yamanaka clan scrolls that were hers by right through marriage. She'd always felt a little bit left out in the clan meetings, things going over her head that Inoichi understood perfectly. But Makoto had never let it -let _anything_ \- get her down, or not for long. Trouble-Maker Mako-chan, she'd push through. And when she was done reducing her enemies to a fine paste, they made an excellent mulch for her flowerbeds.

They tended the plants together and she went back to explaining their uses, the necessity of aloe for burns, even sunburn, the incredible potency -and potential dangers- of datura, the usefulness of marigold for keeping harmful insects off of other plants. How even dandelions were useful, their greens could be eaten -and Naruto nodded despite the face she made.

This was something she found Naruto and her doing more often these days, and it fit them both well. Makoto because of her connection to the land, and Naruto because of her boundless energy. A large garden to care for was perfect for the young girl. Something she could pour effort into and care for and then stand back and see the results of all that hard work. It wasn't like studying, which was boring and the only reward at the end was being tested and made to study more. That was more Ino's thing.

Naruto yelped and turned to her, "Kaachan! Kaachan, the flower _bit_ me!"

Makoto jerked out of her thoughts and turned to her daughter to see her holding a bleeding finger aloft from where she'd been trying to plant a young rosebush. She shook her head and smiled, pulling a leaf off the flower she'd just planted herself and dabbing the seeping end on the tiny, already-closing cut, "There you go."

Ocean blue eyes glared at the poor plant, "Stupid flowers."

"Oh, don't say that. Here, watch." She expertly plucked up the young plant and settled it into the ground, then pulled out a kunai and clipped off a branch. She held it in front of Naruto and summoned her chakra, carefully pooling the energy into the severed limb, until in glowed with a green-pink light, and started growing before their eyes. Naruto watched with huge eyes as the small branch moved, growing other, smaller branches, small buds sprouting into existence and getting larger. She watched as they changed color and flourished, blooming in moments. She stared in awe at the glittering gold roses, reaching out to touch the soft petals.

Makoto huffed, personally displeased with the result, "No matter how hard I try, I can't take a rose from branch to bloom on chakra alone without it ending up gold from the excess energy. I can make a bud blossom red, but not from younger than that..."

Naruto honestly didn't care about that. She'd just seen her mother do magic right before her eyes, growing golden flowers with nothing more than her chakra. Her gaze fell on the small branch that had bit her on the ground and picked it up, looking at it hard and then to the roses. She nodded, her mind made up. Yeah, she was going to do that, too! She'd make magic flowers and give them to Kaachan since she was always using her own to fix Naruto's battle wounds.

* * *

"Psst. Neechan."

Ino opened one pale blue eye in the predawn light to see Naruto peeking up over her bed like a predator ready to pounce or flee. "Naruto? What are you doing up so early? Go back to sleep."

"But-but-but, but today's the _day_! Our first day at the academy! We're going to be ninja!"

" _I'm_ going to go back to sleep."

"Neechaaaaaan!"

"Naruto! Shhhh! I mean it!"

The golden-blonde pouted at her sister, sticking her tongue out, then ducking the pillow thrown at her head. Ino might be the daddy's girl, but she'd inherited their mother's temper- and throwing arm.

Well, _fine_! If Ino was just going to sleep the day away, she was going to go watch the morning glories bloom. She'd already packed her bag, repacked it when she'd tried to stuff too much into it, then checked to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything- and wound up packing it again when she had. How could Ino stand to _sleep_ , _today_ of all days?! NINJA-hood was _calling_ them! They were going to be as awesome as Tousan and as kick-ass as Kaachan! How could Ino sleep through _that_?

With a loud snore, as it happened. Oceanic eyes rolled as she pouted and went to check the garden.

She found Makoto already out there with a mug of something in her hand. She patted the spot beside her and Naruto flopped down without hesitating. Kaachan ran a hand through her bedhead, Naruto's blond hair not even up in its usual twintails. Naruto leaned into her mother's side and grumbled, snuggling close in the early morning chill. She was close enough to smell that the mystery liquid in the cup was coffee.

Makoto finger-combed her hair, "Ino-chan didn't want to get up, I take it."

Naruto huffed and burrowed deeper, making her mother laugh.

"Well we can't all be willing to get up and watch the world wake up."

"She's so... Ugh! Neechan's such a girl!"

That set her mother off and Makoto leaned forward to clutch her stomach as she laughed, "A girl, huh?"

"Yeah! Ino-nee's not like me an' you. She likes flowers, so that's good, but she hates getting dirty and sweaty and when she does she makes _this_ face." Mako covered her mouth to hide her snickers at her daughter's impersonation. Naruto continued on with her complaints, "Then she takes perfectly tasty flowers and _arranges_ them. What a waste! She puts them in vases around the house to _wilt_." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

It was one of the key ways Makoto got Naruto to eat greens. There were _flowers_ , and then there were _vegetables_. She'd eat the former, but the latter only if Makoto cooked them some way she liked.

Mako pulled Naruto closer, "So do you dislike your sister for wasting flowers and being different than you and better at the clan Jutsu?"

Naruto looked up at her, scandalized, and shook her head frantically, "No! Neesan is awesome for bein' able to do all the boring stuff I can't, and if anyone picks on her like they pick on me, I'll kick their ass, _believe it_!"

Makoto giggled and ruffled the young blonde's hair, "That's my girl. Go out there and give 'em hell. Show them what flower girls can do. Put 'em to the storm."

"I will, I will! I'll make you proud, Kaachan, promise!"

She smiled softly and pulled Naruto back against her, "I'm always proud of you. Stand up for yourself, for the ones you love, and what you believe in. Never back down or give up on your dreams, and you'll never disappoint me."

The little blonde nodded against her side as they watched the sun rising, the morning glories opening their petals for the day.

...

Ino shook her head, embarrassed as her mother carried her sleeping sister on her back as she walked next to her father, holding hands so she didn't get lost. She blushed crimson at the looks others gave them as they walked past. How humiliating, how childish, how... very Naruto. She sighed, dropping her head in her hand.

But Makoto didn't mind in the least. Naruto weighed nothing compared to the boulders she tossed around the compound, she didn't even have to use any chakra, her natural strength more than enough.

* * *

Makoto held in a giggle as Naruto made a face at her sister's flower arrangements. The little golden-blonde couldn't care less about how the flowers were _arranged_ , she wanted to know what they _did_! She pointed at the purple flower in the bouquet, "That's clover, you can eat that!"

Ino rolled pale blue eyes right back, "It means 'prosperity, comfort, and a life of ease'. And this is a white stargazer lily, which represents chastity and virtue."

Naruto scrunched her nose, "...Lilies are poisonous..."

"And this is asphodel, which-"

"Is related to lilies and also poisonous."

"I'm not eating them!" Ino shouted, glaring at her sister.

Makoto couldn't help laughing at them then, ruffling Naruto's bangs and tugging gently at Ino's ponytail.

Ino pulled away, "You need to know this, Naruto! Hanako-sensei is testing us on this at the end of the week!"

Naruto scoffed and went back to caring for the plants around the shop, "Who the hell cares about what the flowers _mean_?"

"Naruto! Language."

Naruto and Makoto rolled their eyes at the exact same time. Mako hadn't done well at those 'proper lady' lessons when she'd been training to be a kunoichi, either. Looked like Naruto held them in the same high esteem as herself.

"Who cares what Hanako-sensei says? The woman's got an oversized thistle shoved right up her-"

"NARUTO!"

"Okay! Okay!" The golden-blonde winced and rubbed her ear. Ino snorted and turned back to her presentation, shifting the flowers around to better show them off.

* * *

Ino stopped by her sister, "...What are you doing?"

"I don't think Kaachan has this flower yet."

She facepalmed, "Naruto, are you even _doing_ the assignment? We've got to turn in our bouquets and you're over here pulling things up by the roots."

"Well they'll be hard to replant _without_ the roots."

Two shades of blue clashed in a fierce battle before Ino's shoulders slumped, her expression relaxing. This was her sister. Annoyingly early-rising- and forcing others to, then falling asleep herself. Over-enthusiastic, too energetic, unable to sit still or focus. No fashion sense to speak of and an unhealthy love of the color orange. Addicted to a million and two flavors of ramen and who wouldn't touch a vegetable with a ten-foot pole if their Kaachan didn't prepare it.

Also: loyal, steadfast, determined. Who would stay up with Ino under the covers with Ino when she asked. Who Ino could talk to about absolutely any problem at all, who'd thump Shikamaru for daring to call Ino 'troublesome' ("Show some more respect you lazy bastard!"). Naruto, who would help her pick her clothes and go shopping with her even though she hated both clothes and shopping. Naruto who would stand between her and whatever might threaten her precious Neechan even though Ino was the older sister.

That was her: Naruto Yamanaka, and honestly, Ino wouldn't trade her for anything.

She smiled and kneeled down next to her, "I have an extra vase. I brought it in case one of us broke ours. We can line it with soil and transfer the flower that way."

Naruto grinned at her in that way that took half her face, "Thanks, Neechan! I'll help you hunt up the prettiest flowers- even the _really_ poisonous ones!"

Ino sweatdropped but helped her sister move the flower, accepting the offer of help for what it was, "Thanks."

Naruto stood up when they were had the little blossom potted, rushing the vase back to the class for when they were done and racing back, a little winded but not huffing and panting (and dying) like Ino would have been if she'd attempted the same sprint. Then her head tilted, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" She didn't hear anything.

"It sounds like... laughing."

"Isn't that good?"

"No, it sounds like the same kind of laughing as those boys who used to pick on me."

Ino's expression tightened at the unpleasant memory. She'd been helpless, standing there off to the side while her little sister was bullied, called names and shoved. Until she'd shoved back. Naruto had hurt those boys way more than they'd hurt her, but still... _they'd hurt her_. And Ino had been completely useless to do anything. She hadn't saved her sister, hadn't stepped in to help her, hadn't even fixed her up afterward. All she'd been able to do was run home and cry to Tousan while Kaachan fixed Naruto up.

She grabbed her sister's tanned hand and tugged, "Come on, then, we have to stop them from doing whatever it is that's making them laugh like that."

Deeper blue eyes stared at her, "Ino-nee... are you sure? You can still finish your assignment."

Ino knew exactly what she was being offered. Naruto was telling her she could ignore that sound, even pretend it didn't matter since she hadn't personally heard it, could finish her assignment, and let her sister go take care of it. Let Naruto take all the blame for the trouble that was about to go down- because it was _always_ trouble when Naruto got herself involved. But the image of that day at the playground flashed before her eyes, Naruto scuffed up and bleeding, wincing in pain but still smiling at her and telling her that she was okay.

No, she wasn't going to stand aside like that again. She wasn't going to let Naruto down again. She'd protect her sister- her _little sister_ , she wasn't going to let her go off alone into danger. Some things were more important than school assignments.

Her fingers tightened and her expression set into one of determination, "Let's go."

Naruto grinned at her and nodded, "Yeah."

It was a group of girls that were laughing, all surrounding one girl, who was shaking, "Please stop. Just go away..."

They laughed again, "What a cry-baby! Come on, Billboard Brow, show off that huge forehead to the whole world."

One of the others tittered, "That thing's big enough to house its own Hidden Village!"

Ino grabbed the back of her sister's burnt-orange teeshirt and dug her feet in fruitlessly, Naruto perfectly capable of dragging her along, two streaks of mud left behind her as her sandals tore up the grass as she attempted to be the emergency brake on her sister's temper. "Naru, I know, okay, I _know_. But these are _girls_. They aren't like the boys, they'll tell on you if you hit them."

"Not if I hit 'em _hard enough_..."

"If any of them are civilians, we can get our clan in trouble with the council for hitting them."

There was a pause and Ino breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto's next words, though, told her she'd done so too soon, "Don't worry, I won't hurt 'em... _much_." This, surprisingly, failed utterly in allaying her worries.

"Kami help..."

"Hey, you! What the hell are you doing?!"

Ino facepalmed. One of their first interactions with their classmates, and her sister was cursing like... Kaachan.

They turned around, "Why, we're not doing anything much."

Naruto snorted, "Well, yeah, that much was clear. I mean, look at you scrawny little twigs. You couldn't do much if you _tried_."

Ino went full-out and her other hand joined her first. She kind of hoped one of Kaachan's planting Jutsu would suddenly open the ground below her and bury her alive.

"And just who are _you_?"

"I'm Naruto Yamanaka and I'm going to be the first woman Hokage! And _you_ -" she pointed to them all, "are nothing but a bunch of puny little bullying bitches."

 _Kami, just kill me now._ Naruto sounded exactly like Kaachan when she was taking down one of the snottier Hyuuga at the market.

"Hey, I know you... Aren't you the Demon Brat? Yeah, I've heard of you, too. No wonder you're standing up for Billboard Brow!"

Ino's head whipped up, eyes blazing furiously at the girls. Okay, so maybe her sister and mom weren't very 'lady-like', and they cursed like they'd spent time in Anko Mitarashi's brain with their clan Jutsu. They got up way too early, and they liked dirt in a way Ino would probably never be able to comprehend, but Naruto was her little sister. She always had a new flower waiting for Ino when she got done with Clan Studies, helped Kaachan in the kitchen (even if the only thing she could make so far was ramen) but they were her family, the _best_ family, and she wouldn't trade them for anything.

One of the girls' lips parted to speak and Ino struck, the flowers she'd collected (for Naruto) flying like senbon into the yappy one's big, fat mouth. Ino smirked nastily when they all looked at her, "Oh, I'm sorry, your mouth was so huge I thought it was a particularly ugly vase that needed some flowers to fill it."

She stomped her foot, "Why foo..."

Ino snorted, "By the way... that's aconite and milkweed. Not _exceptionally_ poisonous, still, you might want to go wash your mouth out."

She spat out the flowers in panic and the rest of the flock took off to go help her. Ino squeaked as Naruto glomped her, "You used poisonous flowers~!"

Ino blushed, "Yeah... I picked them while you were running off the flower pot. ...Thought you'd like 'em."

They pulled away at the pink-haired girl's sobbing and Ino sat beside her, "What's your name?"

"S-S-Sakura." She introduced herself before bursting into a fresh bout of tears.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with all the waterworks? They're gone now."

"I th-thought they were my f-friends!"

Naruto snorted and spoke before thinking, "Those little bitches were _no_ friends of yours."

The pinkette wailed louder, "They ne-never were? They t-tricked me the wh-whole time!"

Ino cast her sister a glare and Naruto stepped back, hands raised defensively. She hadn't _meant_ to make her feel worse! She wasn't Kaachan or Tousan: she didn't know what to say to make someone stop crying! She kinda sucked at talking, she did better with actions! Ac- actions... Naruto glanced around and looked at Ino, "Neechan, which of these is a sakura tree?"

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Because I work with ground-plants, not trees. The answer, please." She urged impatiently.

Ino rolled her eyes and looked around, "That looks like a stand of them over there."

Naruto grinned and gave her a half-hearted salute, "Thanks~!" she dashed off and _left_ her to deal with the crying pinkette. Ino did her best, holding her close and patting her back like Tousan did for her when she cried to him.

Naruto came running back, holding... sticks. She'd obviously torn them from the tree, but what in the world was running through her mind? It was summer, the blossoms were long gone, and Ino didn't think naked twigs were going to much cheer up their new friend. Naruto held out her arm and stared intently at the sticks. Ino's stress was reaching critical and she was about to snap at her sister when she felt... _something_.

Ino kept quiet, watching as Naruto focused harder- and then started to glow. Her breath caught in her throat, "Wha-"

Naruto was bad at chakra control, it wasn't exactly a secret around the compound. She couldn't do even the easiest of the clan Jutsu because she had just _no_ control. But what she lacked in control she more than made up for in quantity. Ino remembered Naruto running around outside in the winter with barely anything on while she was forced to bundle up, because her sister made and expended so much chakra she could keep herself warm by jump-starting her metabolism, all the adults said that that's where she got her energy from.

Naruto glowed as she expelled massive quantities of chakra from her entire body, but her arm glowed the brightest, and, though it might have been a trick of the light, Ino thought the branches started glowing as well. Sakura looked up with water-logged green eyes, watching just as raptly as Ino was, both uncertain just what in the world was going on.

They both gasped. The branches _were_ glowing, what's more, they were _moving_! Like a strong wind blew them, they moved. Then they burst into activity, small shoots jumping forward in growth, months of time passing in the blink of an eye, they stared, completely entranced, as the branches quickly flashed through seasons, the leaves crinkling and dropping, leaving them bare, then buds springing into being before, at last, blooming in bursts of pale pink.

Naruto stopped glowing and panted harshly, harder than after her run all the way back to the classroom and back outside earlier. Ino couldn't even guess at how much chakra she'd put out, more than Ino would probably ever _possess_. In just a few minutes, and she was _still standing_. Naruto looked tired, but she didn't look like she was about to drop dead from chakra exhaustion. As her mother would say: _Holy shit!_

Naruto beamed and held out the now-flowering branches, "Here, sakura flowers for Sakura~!"

The pink-haired girl hesitantly reached out and took the bouquet, then held it close and hid her face in the flowers, "Thank you."

Ino leaned forward to get a better look at the girl while Naruto hopped up to sit on her other side. Ino reached out and pushed the pink bangs out of the way, "You know, those girls were bitches-" Naruto grinned at her for swearing, "-but they did have one point."

Sakura sniffled, "They... they did?"

She nodded, "You do have a big forehead-" Sakura flinched, but Ino went on, "-and you _should_ show it off."

Sakura's head snapped up so fast Ino winced in sympathy for her poor neck, "What?!"

She removed her hand, and watched as Sakura's bangs fell down into her eyes again, then lifted them back up, "All this hair trying to hide it... It makes you look..."

"You look like a sheepdog." Naruto helpfully supplied.

Ino used her free hand to facepalm, "My sister's as ineloquent as ever, but she has a point. Here, I have just the thing." She was forced to let go again as she dug around in her pockets, coming up with cry of victory, holding a red ribbon, "There we go!"

Ino stood up with Naruto, the golden-blonde holding Sakura's hair back while Ino tied the bow. She leaned back to observe their work and nodded, plopping back down next to her.

"There, that's much better."

Sakura fidgeted, hand reaching up to touch her held-back hair, "You shouldn't waste that on me..."

Naruto snorted, "Waste? Please. This gives her whole new reasons to wring a shopping trip out of Kaachan. 'But Kaachan, I _need_ this ribbon, it matches Sakura's hair!'"

Ino leaned around to glare at the other blonde, her sister just lucky she didn't have any more ammunition on her. Naruto stuck her tongue out at her. She snorted and turned back to Sakura, who was giggling, " _Anyway_ , the point is that giving you the ribbon isn't a waste."

"But my forehead..."

"Don't worry about that! If anyone else picks on you for it, we'll just teach 'em a lesson!" Sakura's green eyes widened and she leaned away from the apparently-violent blonde, but Naruto went on, "Don't let them push you around. Sometimes you gotta kick some ass! Show them what a flower-girl can do!"

"Flower girl?"

Naruto grinned and held a thumb towards herself, "Yup! Our Kaachan runs the Yamanaka flower shop. We're flower-girls, and we don't let _anyone_ put us down. Flowers are beautiful -well, most of them...- but deadly! ...Again, some of them. Lots of others only give you a stomach ache, and there are a couple that are safe and tasty..."

Ino sighed, "You lost your point in your argument... again."

Naruto blinked, "Oh! Well, anyway, I guess I'm trying to say we'll be your friends so we won't let nothing else happen to you~!"

Ino smiled at Sakura's startled look, "She may take the scenic route, but she does get there eventually. We'll be your friends. I'm Ino, and that's my little sister-"

"Naruto Yamanaka, future-"

"Hokage?" Sakura finished.

Naruto grinned at her, "We're going to get along just fine."

The alarm rang and they raced together back to the starting point, grabbing flowers along the way. The teacher gaped at them as the three girls stood together and proudly presented their bouquets, each of which were twined around a flowering, out of season sakura branch.

* * *

Naruto crouched in the snow below the tree. Sakura and Ino had been so happy to get paired together for their assignment. They were paired up for tracking in snowy conditions practice. Naruto was pretty sure her partner was intentionally not finding her. It had been over an hour now. It was cloudy and so cold. It was cold enough that she could feel it, even through her jacket. Their teacher probably wasn't looking for her, either, and Ino and Sakura likely didn't even know she was missing.

She hugged her knees closer to her chest and breathed out a frosted sigh. She hated winter. There was nothing to do, no plants to take care of unless it was in cramped greenhouses that always smelled funny from everything being so close together. She hated the smell of greenhouses, they made her sneeze like crazy.

Naruto sighed and stood up, shivering as a wicked-cold wind blew right through her orange coat. What was the point of staying still? It wasn't like anyone was looking for her anyway. She'd been so careful to cover her footprints at first, too.

She kicked at the snow, then turned and punched the tree she was under. Well to hell with them all! She eeped as the tree released its hold on all the snow in its branches and the mini-avalanche buried her. She popped up out of the top and huffed, then laughed.

She dug her way out of the snow and glared around at all the white stuff. Snow sucked. Her legs were too short to navigate it properly, and she had nowhere near the ability to do that awesome snowshoe Jutsu Tousan and Kaachan could do. It made pranking harder, it completely ruined her garden. And no matter how she begged, none of the other kids ever wanted to play with her in it. Naruto _hated_ snow.

She wanted... spring. Fresh, clean spring air, bright little buds waiting to burst into flowery fireworks of color. Fun mud puddles and the scent of green things and over-turned soil. The feel of the sun warming her back as she carried water around the garden with Kaachan. Naruto wanted spring, not this wintry hell.

=-0-=

Makoto froze into wary, shinobi-stillness, "What did you just say?"

"We were out practicing winter tracking, and Naruto Yamanaka's partner returned without her."

"And you _left?_ " Her voice was deadly calm, "Your student returned without their partner and you _left_? You _lost my child_ and then _LEFT HER THERE?!_ Are you fucking shinobi or not you useless ass-clown?! I'll be there in an hour and if my daughter - _both of them_ \- isn't there when I arrive, _I'm taking it out of your ass!_ "

She slammed the receiver down in the cradle so hard she smashed the phone into little unrecognizable bits of machinery. She ignored it and turned on her heel, stalking to the master bedroom and throwing open the closet, grabbing her shinobi gear- and smirking in vindictive satisfaction that, aside from being slightly tighter around the chest area, it still fit her perfectly.

=-0-=

Naruto looked at the snow-covered ground thoughtfully, recalling what she'd done with the sakura blossoms. She could just do that again, couldn't she? Her chakra kept her warm, helped plants grow. So, if she just put out enough of it, maybe she could make it spring!

She smiled hugely and knelt down in the snow. Naruto looked at her mittens in frustration before pulling them off with her teeth and shoving her hands down into the cold. She stared at the spot between them, a frown of concentration on her lips, and tried to do the chakra-thing she'd done before.

She could feel it inside: her chakra like a great ocean within her center. She reached after it and _pulled-pushed-poured_ , opening the floodgates and letting it pour out across the frozen ground. Her hands began glowing, bright, gold-white, and she could even kinda-see it through her jacket, thumping in time with her heartbeat.

Naruto stood up and took off her coat, not feeling cold at all. In fact, it was rather warm, so she struggled out of her over-pants, too, leaving her in just her house-shirt, shorts, and her boots- until she kicked those off, too.

Her whole body was glowing, even her hair, from her head to her bare feet. Feet that sank down into slushy mud. Naruto let out a purely childish squeal of glee. It was working! She was melting the snow, she was making it spring time!

Naruto was always being picked on, called weird, called a demon, freakish, strange. She saw the adults of the clan whispering about her when they didn't think she could hear. Well if this was what it meant to be weird, to be a demon, a freak, she'd take it.

A warm wind blew against her cheeks and sent her ponytails blowing out behind her. Naruto smiled and ran her hand across her cheek. She was doing it! She was even making the wind warm. This was exactly it, this was what she wanted! Stupid clan jutsu, stupid clan members, stupid teachers- stupid Hanako-sensei, especially. Let her see any one of them do _this_! But nope, only her, Kaachan had only shown her how to do it.

The melted snow was swiftly sucked into the rich earth as it quickened, awakened from its wintry sleep. Naruto laughed as little sprouts poked up below her feet, the melting area growing. The nearest trees had the last of the slush fall from their branches as they came back to life, pulsing with energy, limbs twitching with growth.

Naruto spun around in wonder, her small kingdom coming alive before her eyes. Grass sprang up between her toes and she danced around in it, arms out for balance as she moved gracefully around each new shoot, the trail of plantlife following her footsteps. She laughed, picking her way across the newly-revived ground, leaving rich topsoil in place of the light, clay-like ground that had been there before.

It felt _wonderful_. Naruto could _feel_ it: the earth coming alive with every step, leaves budding on the trees around her, some caught by the warm wind playing with her and sending them dancing across the sky. She dug her toes into the dirt, _feeling_ it respond, and then hopped back, watching as flowers rose and bloomed from the spot.

Her chakra poured out and saturated the area like a rainstorm unleashed, soaking into the ground and plants. Naruto smiled as she twirled around, touching down lightly before slipping away. It wasn't just the ground, or the plants; Naruto let her chakra go and she could feel it getting caught up in the air, like the leaves in the wind. The wind grabbed at her clothes almost playfully as she spun. It felt... happy. The earth, the sky, she felt them, saturated with her chakra, part of her, like her hands or feet.

Like her hair. She laughed as she pushed the blonde locks back out of her eyes, the warmth of the sun on her face. _This_ was peace, this was who she was. She'd gone from being ready to cry to... being the happiest she'd ever been in her life. This was acceptance, this was love, watching before her eyes as her flowers - _hers_ \- bloomed for her. Naruto spun and raised her arms, the earth answering her and sending up shoots to brush against her thighs. With a thought, and spin, they even braided themselves together. Chakra control didn't seem so hard when she had _aaalll this_ to help her control it.

Naruto stepped back with a smile, looking up at the braided sapling she'd just made. It was beautiful, all twirled around itself. If _this_ was the joy Ino got from flower arranging, she'd never say another bad thing about it to her sister ever again.

She danced back away from the tree, spinning around and around to the music of the wind through her hair, the heartbeat of the earth below her, again and again: twist, twine, spin, twirl. Flashes of green, or pink, of bright red and pale blue, caught her as she moved. Star gazer lilies swayed contently at the bases of trees, tender morning glories happily opened their petals to the warmth of her chakra.

Naruto spun to the very middle of her little clearing and threw out her hands, reaching up towards the light of the sun overhead and panting. Then she recalled Kaachan's issue with being unable to grow red roses from anything but bud. She crouched down with a soft smile and placed her palm against the ground, feeling its surge of happiness, and asked for a rose bush. There was a seed in there that she could feel, one small little rose seed, and she poured more chakra into it, feeling it germinate and sprout between her fingers with tiny little leaves. Growing up and up. It flourished under her loving attention and focus, branches spreading out and leaves turned towards her instead of the sun above, shining with the light she shared with it that turned every leaf emerald and every branch topaz.

She frowned as her own glow flickered and darkened. So she reached deeper into the well of her chakra and _pushed_ , the little bush shivering and making her smile as she saw the buds forming, fed on the energy of her body and soul.

Her glow dimmed again and she gave a scowl worthy of an Uchiha, _digging_ , deep into herself, for more chakra, more light. She _had_ to finish, had to make red roses for Kaachan! _Something_ happened inside her, made her wince, but then her light was back and brighter than ever, a deep pink that tinted to her favorite orange at the edges. She poured it out into her little rosebush, urging it on and cooing as it responded, the buds large and healthy, twitching with the effort to blossom.

Naruto smiled softly even as she shook her head to clear it of the blackness creeping in. She blinked, but nothing changed, though she could still _feel_ , feel the flowers bloom and open, the fragrance of roses filling the clearing as she finally broke contact with the ground and fell flat on her back, the sun overhead the only thing really visible.

Her chest heaved for breath, but Naruto had never felt more satisfied- or more tired. But it was done, she did it. She'd brought spring, she'd made roses for her Kaachan that she just _knew_ were red. She didn't know _why_ Kaachan wanted red roses, Naruto personally thought the golden ones were prettier than just red, but she was happy to do it.

"Naruto!"

And she was even here to see it!

"K-Kaachan! You came!"

There was a sound of crashing from her left, then silence for a bit, then she felt her mother picking her up, "Oh, my little storm, what did you do?"

"Isn't it pretty? I made spring. And- and I made you roses. Are they red? I can't really see anything. Are they red like you like them, Kaachan?"

Makoto nuzzled her head, "Yes, baby, they're a bright, gorgeous red."

Naruto smiled, snuggled into her mother's side, and went to sleep.

* * *

Makoto stared in awe at the clearing around her and her youngest daughter. It must have been a good forty feet across, with rich, dark earth. At one end was a braided sapling, bright green leaves reaching proudly for the sky, several of the full-grown trees around them brought into full bloom as if it were the middle of spring. The forest floor wasn't blanketed in grass, it was rather sparse, and in a very distinct pattern.

Makoto snorted and shook her head, smiling. From one end of the clearing to the other, there was an enormous Konoha leaf symbol, the stem coming from the bottom of the braided tree. And in the very center of the spiral, what had to be the healthiest rose bush she had ever seen, with roses bright, blood red. A moving, living red. A glowing red. ...Kyuubi red.

Mako held Naruto closer and rested her cheek on her daughter's head as the incompetant idiots who'd lost her child wandered into the small miracle Naruto had created, "Show the world what a flower-girl can do, my strong, proud, beautiful little sea storm. Rage on."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thought I'd show a little bit more since the bunny didn't leave me.**

 **If you favorite or follow this fic, it'd be amazing and so helpful if you could leave a comment\review about what made you click those options. And let me know if you'd like me to continue it a bit further. I leave it up to the readers.**

* * *

"I don't _think_ so!"

One of the civilian idiots stood up and half leaned over the desk, "That _creature-"_

"That _creature_ -" Makoto interrupted, "-is my _daughter_ , you spineless craven!"

"Spineless...!"

"What else do you call a grown man who never even went to the Academy pretending he has any power whatsoever over a shinobi child who's training to protect her village?"

Said spineless craven spluttered, " _Protect_ the village?! That thing is what en _dangered_ the village!"

"Careful," Mako warned, voice low and dangerous, freezing every civilian in the room and half the shinobi, "You tread perilously close to breaking the Hokage's own law regarding _that_ night."

"The fox-"

"The _fox_ is _dead_. My daughter, on the other hand, is alive and well, thanks for asking."

"Asking?!"

"Why, yes, she is only a seven-year old child found collapsed from chakra exhaustion and suffering from chakra burns. Thinking and feeling human beings are prone to feeling concern about such things."

"Those people usually feel them for other humans, though."

" _THAT'S IT!_ " Makoto threw herself over the puny wooden barrier protecting the coward from her wrath.

"Mako, no!"

The desk shattered under the power of her punch and it was only due to Inoichi, Chouza, and Shikaku all together grabbing on and holding her that prevented her from launching herself at him. He backed up and hid behind others like the craven she called him.

Danzo was the next to speak up, "I propose we put the girl through training to learn to control her... _chakra problem_."

Mako stilled in the hold her friends had on her, "Try it. Any of you, _all_ of you, I dare you to try and take my daughter from me- either of them. I'll show you just how fucking retired I am! _No one_ is taking Naruto. _Nobody_ is even _touching_ _**my**_ daughter!"

"Inoichi, don't _you_ have anything to say about this?"

He gave Hiashi an incredulous look. Precisely which part of _his wife's_ argument did the fool expect him to vocally take exception to: Danzo wanting to use their daughter as a weapon, or his wife's solo claim on the child? Because he'd gone down that particular street before with chocolate and the results had terrified him, he wasn't inclined to argue the issue with their children.

Mako shook them all off and stalked toward the exit, rounding on them all with savage fury raging in her eyes, "Let me make this as transparently clear as is possible." The predatory gaze of a threatened kunoichi stared around the room, making contact with every pair of eyes watching her, "You want my daughter? Over _your_ dead bodies."

Everyone flinched as the doors slammed closed, shaking in their frame. Inoichi let out a soft sigh of relief. His wife hadn't killed anyone and the building was still standing; that was better than he'd been expecting.

And the council had expected him to put _his_ head through the meat-grinder of his wife's temper for _them_ after they'd tried to take his daughter from him? Inoichi was tempted to ask if he'd somehow gotten the word 'moron' tattooed across his forehead without noticing.

Every eye turned to the other head of the Yamanaka clan and Inoichi calmly sat down at the destroyed desk, crossing his legs and folding his arms, outwardly calm, "I think that about covers it. Any other issues that need brought to the Council's attention?"

xxx

* * *

"Kaachan, what are we doing here?"

Makoto smiled at them, having no problem whatsoever carrying both her daughters at the same time, one on each shoulder. "We're here so I can teach you two the most important thing about our clan."

Ino leaned forward, "Most important thing about our clan? I thought the most important thing was learning delicacy for information-gathering since that's what most Yamanaka specialize in."

Mako's smile faded a bit, "Maybe I should rephrase that. The most important thing about _my_ clan. I'm the last of the Kino clan, you know. My legacy will pass on to you two, and all that the Kino were known for will become part of the Yamanaka clan someday. You're right, Ino-chan, about the Yamanaka specializing in information and recon because of the clan jutsu. The Kino were very different, and even the flowershop is something I carried over from my life before marriage."

"You had a life before us and Tousan?"

She rolled her eyes and jostled her right shoulder.

Naruto clung to her head, "Whoa! I'm sorry!"

Mako shook her head to dislodge Naru's arms, " _Yes_ , I had a life before I got hitched. That's like asking if you had a life before you wake up each morning. It wasn't quite as bright or lively, but it was there and it was mine." She finally reached her destination and knelt, setting the girls down. They immediately sat down facing her, waiting for whatever she'd share.

Makoto breathed in deeply, tasting the earth and grass on the breeze, the ground below her already reacting to their presence. This forest was special, magical, to the villagers who didn't know any better. It was alive, it lived and breathed, pulsed with a great heartbeat that matched the village itself.

Mako opened her eyes to look at her daughters, not realizing when she'd closed them, "This is the Chakra Forest."

Ino tilted her head, "But, Kaachan... why are we in the Aburame Clan Compound?"

"It's less that the forest is by the Aburame, and more that the Aburame are by the forest."

Naruto blinked, "...I don't get it."

Mako smiled at them, "I'll explain in a moment. Now, you both know that every living thing gives off chakra in small amounts, right?" They nodded and she went on, "When _lots_ of living things are all put together in one place, they give off _lots_ of chakra. Normally, it all gets wasted, just dissolving out into the air, doing a bunch of nothing. Well, many years ago, the Kino clan worked to put an end to that waste.

"You see, when lots of people gather in one place, their very presence tends to hurt the land. They dig into the earth to build their houses, cut down trees for timber, clearcut forests for room to build. They grow gardens that suck the nutrients out of the soil, but dislike rot and decay, so they rake up leaves, remove weeds, they cut grass instead of letting it grow, then remove the cuttings, too. A life lived this way will quickly kill the very land they're living on. And in some towns and cities, this is okay.

"It's nature for creatures to carve out their own territory from the earth, but not here in Konoha. Here, amidst the trees, is our home, our safety, our lives. We rely on the earth in a way most towns and villages don't. The leaves, the trees, the very earth are our allies, and we need to treat them right so they survive. We needed harmony. We needed a way to feed the trees, the flowers, the plants, the very earth itself. We needed a way to give back all the energy we were taking in.

"Of course, there was a problem with that since people still weren't going to be fond of letting brush and nature clog up their streets. My clan, the Kino, had a stronger connection to the earth than most. It responded to us as we responded to it. Symbiotic: interlocking parts of a greater whole. Without thinking, we could share our energy with the land, and in times of need, the land would share back."

Here Makoto stopped and pulled out a flower. It was one both of her daughters recognized: a golden rose grown from her own chakra. Mako focused on the bloom and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was to see the horrified look in her children's faces at the dead, withered flower in her hand.

"We can pull in chakra from the living things around us just as easily as share our own. This isn't a Kekkei Genkai or special ability, just a change in thinking. It's almost impossible for most people because chakra is such a personal thing. Your own life energy, and everyone has this 'mine-mine-mine' mentality. Their bodies will reject incoming, strange chakra unless handled carefully. It's why being a medi-nin is so hard, because they have to learn how to 'match' their patients' chakra in order to heal them.

"I don't think like that. I see all energy as belonging to the earth, to be taken in and shared in the natural cycle of things. I give and share, and I receive in return. I don't think ' _my_ chakra, you can't have it'. I can make more, there's no need for me to hoard it close like some dragon's precious treasure in the fear of someone or something taking it. So what if they do? There's plenty more around me.

"But even when people have this hoarding way of thinking, chakra escapes in the course of life, because the body releases it to make more, and it's all lost into... nothing. Because in a village full of streets and houses and concrete buildings, there's nothing to use that chakra. This is where my clan came in. Below the streets of Konoha, in the ground, they crafted a chakra network. They ran their own energy through the pathways time and again until even the natural charka in the earth began to follow the paths. Then they put... 'sinks' in them. Not sinks like washing places, but like drains: places to suck up and absorb all that extra chakra that would normally just be lost."

Naruto was frowning, face scrunched up in thought, "But... what did they do with it when they had it, then?"

Makoto smiled and ruffled the golden-blonde's bangs, "Ah, but _that_ is the question, right? They funneled it all to here- or well, places like this one." The girls looked around the forest. "They funneled all that extra chakra to the wilds just around the village. People could burn this place down, pollute it with oil enough to taint an ocean, and still this forest would flourish, for it's fed from the very energy of the people themselves. This is what it means to be Leaf Ninja. We are at one with the nature that nurtures us, and we nurture it back.

"Now, coming back around to that question from earlier: do either of you know what this is?" Mako held up a small square of paper. Both of her children shook their heads, "This is chakra paper. Made from the trees around us. The village, full of thousands of people, gives off _so much_ chakra, that it charges the trees with it. Grown on the energy, the trees themselves become more sensitive to it. When cut and made into paper, that paper is just as chakra-sensitive as the plant was. When a person then channels their own chakra into the paper..."

Ino and Naruto gasped as the little square crinkled and turned brittle at the edges, crumbling.

Makoto grinned at them, "It reacts to a shinobi's chakra and tells them what elemental affinity or affinities they have. Having an affinity just means that you're more 'in-tune' with that type of chakra. You can channel it easier, and so jutsu of that type is generally easier for you. Having one type doesn't mean you can't do jutsu of another kind, it just means it'll be a bit harder or less effective. And having an affinity doesn't necessarily mean that that type of jutsu would be the best for you to use."

Ino's hand shot up, "What do you mean, Kaachan? Wouldn't it be smarter to use your own affinity than struggle for one that you aren't tuned for?"

Mako held up a finger, "Think of it this way, which would be better to have in a desert: an affinity for Water Style, or a working knowledge of Earth Style? How well would Fire Style work in a rain forest?" Ino's hand lowered as she became thoughtful. "You see, just because it's the one you _know_ best, doesn't mean it _is_ best for a given situation. But just the same, while you might have a knack for water jutsu, what if you don't personally care for them? Just like any other talent. Ino-chan, you have a lovely singing voice; would you like to become a singer instead of a kunoichi?"

The pale blonde shook her head, "No way!"

Makoto smiled at the childish certainty that Ino would never want to be anything but a ninja. "So you see now, it's a juggling act. You have to weigh all the options: affinity, personality, situation. It's all about balance.

"And we come back to that question you asked before: Why here and why the Aburame. These trees, with their massive chakra reserves from being fed from the entire village, as well as the overabundance that saturates the very air, is a perfect breeding ground and home for the Aburame clan's insects. Their colonies can feed and make nests here. I'm very close friends with Shibi, as my mother was with his mother, and on and on. Our clans themselves have a symbiotic relationship. Because only those of the Kino clan's brand of training have the ability to help control the flow of the village's leylines."

"Leylines?"

"That's the name of the great chakra network, flowing below the ground and feeding these forests. Leylines are pathways of energy. And we Kino control them. We run the energy through our bodies, shape it with our intent. We keep the lines strong and allow them to flow. Without regular shaping, the leylines will falter and disperse, the sinks will fade and the chakra will bleed out into the earth under the village where it would go to waste, unable to nurture anything. We keep it strong. Without us, these trees would wither and die, we'd have no more chakra paper, and the Aburame would be put in crisis, the insects not hosted with them starving to death. All of which would leave the village much weaker and open to attack."

Naruto took all that in and came up with one conclusion, "So... you're saying we're really important~?!"

Mako facefaulted, then plucked a near-by fallen branch and thwacked the young girl with it, "Pay attention! We are no better than other clans just because we bear a heavy responsibility. Much as certain ones would argue otherwise, the Uchiha are no more important for being the police force than other clans. The Aburame no more important because they keep pests under control and help prevent infestations which help harvests. We are all a part of each other. Don't you two get it yet? We're just another branch on the great tree that is our village. This is what makes us Leaf Ninja. Symbiosis. We help each other, _always_. We are more than we are: we are one."

"Well said, Makoto-kun."

Mako smiled up at the coated figure that stepped from the trees, a smaller, equally-hidden shadow at his side. "Thank you. Girls, this is Shibi Aburame, and his son, Shino. Get to know each other, you'll be seeing a great deal of one another through-out your lives."

Naruto, never one to pass up the chance to make a friend, jumped up and dashed over to the quiet boy, "Hi! I'm Naruto Yamanaka! I'm taking after Kaachan, so don't worry, I'll make sure to help you feed your bugs lots~!"

Ino was more hesitant, if she didn't care much for getting dirty, bugs were a whole new level of gross. But she, too, inched over and started speaking quietly. Makoto and Shibi watched them interacting, and she leaned back against the tree behind her with a smile as she turned her gaze upward. Mako let out a content sigh at the new, tender branches beginning their off-shoot of the larger ones she saw, waving in the wind and reaching for the sky. She had a feeling they'd reach it eventually. _We are more than we are: we are one._

xxx

* * *

Sakura stood opposite Ino as a wind blew leaves between their still forms. "We're not friends anymore. From now on, we're rivals."

Ino hid her flinch admirably, but not well enough for certain eyes. Sakura turned away, then let out a cry of surprise and pain as she was struck from behind. She fell to her knees and turned over to see a form of blonde\orange vengeance... except for the teary ocean blue eyes.

Ino was the one to speak, "Naruto?!" She let out her own cry as the younger blond turned around and smacked her cleanly across the face with the same paper fan she'd struck Sakura with.

She turned to face them both, "No! This is _not_ how Konoha shinobi act! We do _not_ give up on our friends for some... some _dumb boy_!"

Sakura stood up, "Hey! Sasuke-kun isn't stupid! He's top of the class!"

"So are you! So is Ino-nee! You can't just give up on friends who've been through as much as we have. We're flower girls, we're going to show the world what we can do- _together_! And if Sasuke-baka doesn't appreciate what flowers can do, then we'll kick his ass- _together_! Konoha shinobi support each other, no matter what. We're all branches of the same tree. We don't let anything get in the way of that, _especially_ boys!"

"Naruto..."

"No! I'm not moving until you two make up! I won't... I won't let you both just leave like this!"

Ino stepped next to her, "Naruto, you're crying..."

"No, I'm not! Now make up!" She pointed the fan at Sakura threateningly.

Sakura looked between them, her hand straying up to rub the ribbon holding her hair back, then stepped forward. "I'm sorry."

Naruto wiped her eyes, "Remember what Kaachan's always saying when you two like the same thing? Share."

Sakura blinked and looked at Ino, "...I don't think boys work like that. ...Do they?"

Ino looked back, just as confused, "I don't know. We can go ask Kaachan, if you'd like."

Sakura hesitated, then nodded, taking Naruto's hand left hand while Ino held her right one and the golden-blonde started dragging them back to the Yamanaka compound. Sakura glanced down at the ground and then over at Ino, "You know... if I had to share, I'd be happy to share with you. But-but only you."

"Not even Naruto?"

Said little sister broke into their discussion with a loud scoff, "Like I care about boys anyway. I'll be too busy being a Hokage to worry about things like that."

xxx

* * *

"...Do we have to?"

"C'mon! It's clan tradition!"

"It's getting stuck with a big needle."

Ino and Naruto argued from their respective parents' shoulders.

"Even Kaachan has earrings, don't you want them, too?"

Naruto leaned around their mother's head to see the pink rose earrings, "Well, I suppose... I dunno what kind of earring I'd even wear."

"We can figure that out later."

They were taken into the piercing shop, their parents ducking low so they didn't bump the children's heads, and Naruto clung to their mother like a leach, refusing to go first. Ino rolled her eyes and moved forward happily when Inoichi set her down. She hopped up on the stool at the urging of the shopkeeper and kicked her feet while he held an icecube to her ear. Naruto flinched worse than she did when he put an apple slice behind it and drove the needle through. The smaller blonde buried her face in Kaachan's hair when the process was repeated on the other side.

Then it was Naruto's turn, and she was _not_ happy. She squirmed all over the place at the cold of the icecube, and flinched away before he could give her the first piercing. Ino shook her head, but secretly thought that it only made Naruto cuter to be so afraid of something so simple. She stepped away from the showcase of earrings by their father and stood on her sister's other side, holding her hand. Naruto squinted open her eyes to look and Ino smiled at her, "It's okay, I'm here for you."

Naruto took a deep, deep breath, closed her eyes (made a squishy face), and nodded, "Do it." A minute later, she opened one eye, "Well?"

Ino giggled, "You're already done."

Ocean blue eyes blinked, "I am?"

"You are."

"Ready for the other side now?"

Naruto beamed, "Believe it!" Another two minutes and they were done, both looking over the offered earrings.

"What about those?"

"Nah. What about those ones?"

"Are you colorblind? It looks like a rainbow threw up on those. Ooh! Those ones?"

"I am not a fan of glitter. How about them?"

"Not a chance. Not for _either_ of us. Green clashes with orange _and_ purple."

"Ugh! We'll never get out of here!"

"Ooh! I like those." Ino exclaimed, pointing to a pair of hoops, "They're nice, simple-"

"They give enemy shinobi a perfect place to grab and rip..."

"Well! I'll- I'll...! Maybe I'll stop wearing them when we graduate the Academy."

Their father cut in, "It's traditional for Yamanaka who make Chuunin to wear matching studs with their team mates."

Ino stuck her tongue out at Naruto, "There! You see?"

Her sister copied the expression and went back to looking over the pickings, but not finding anything she really liked.

"Naru-chan, how about these?"

She looked over to where her Kaachan was kneeling and pointing, to a pair of glass... "What are they?"

Makoto tapped the glass and the shopkeeper opened the case for her. She pulled them out and held them out to Naruto, "They're whirlpools."

They caught the light and shone, and Naruto's eyes lit up, "I _like_ 'em!" She held them up to the light as they went to get them rung up, "Whirlpools..."

xxx

* * *

"Well... this is stupid."

"Naruto!"

"Whaaat? It is! I mean, I'm not against the sneaky parts of being a kunoichi, but the guys should be here, too."

"What?" Ino saw Hanako-sensei watching them, but Naruto seemed oblivious to it.

"I mean, what if we ever get a mission where the guys have to play as girls, or where we have to act like guys? This whole separation thing just seems like a baaaaad idea. If we ever get in a girls-only\boys-only mission, we're going to be screwed."

xxx

* * *

She crept through the trees, silent as death, crystal-blue eyes narrowed in on her unsuspecting target below. So unwary, so foolish. He would soon learn. With the stealth of many years practice, she moved into place as her target began to pass by below, and attacked.

Naruto pounced on her prey, causing it -him- to go down with an 'oof' under her. She sat back, hands on his chest, and tilted her head, staring deep, trying to divine his innermost secrets.

"What in the world? Get off me! What are you even doing? Aniki, help!"

One Itachi Uchiha just watched them with a smirk on his face, "You mean this isn't one of your academy friends, Sasuke?"

"No! I have no idea who this insane female is!"

"Naruto Yamanaka." Naruto helpfully supplied, leaning _waaaaay_ down into his personal space and scrutinizing his face from only inches away.

" _What_ are you doing?!"

Naruto sat back and fluffed her hair with a huff, "I just don't see it."

"...See what?"

Naruto crossed her arms and looked down at Sasuke with her head tilted, "All the girls at the Academy are all goo-goo eyes over you, but I don't get it. You're no better strategist than Shika, you're not that much better in taijutsu than Kiba." She leaned down, nose-to-nose, blue eyes narrowed to slits, "So what, exactly, is so special about you to make my sister and best friend act like-like... _girls_?" She said the word with much disgust- or as much as a small child could.

Sasuke blinked, confused about what in the world she was talking about. All he'd heard were a bunch of insults about his ninja skills and general person. Narrowing his own eyes, he bucked and rolled, flinging her off of him- kinda. Instead of the satisfying crashing into the ground he was rather hoping for, she sprang up and away with the skill of a kunoichi- or someone who got into a lot of brawls on a frequent basis.

Naruto sighed and shook her head, "You don't even know half the stuff they're teaching at the Academy. What was Neechan thinking?" Boys didn't even stack up to girls, in Naruto's opinion. Girls had to learn all the normal shinobi things, _plus_ all the flower arranging and dancing and the rest of the stuff they'd need to know to go undercover. Well, Shika knew them, but that usually because all three of them practiced on him since he was too lazy to get away- or get away from _Naruto_ , at any rate, which was a whole other level of determined than shirking, say, his mother. Because Naruto _never gave up_.

Sasuke sat up, huffing, "What are you talking about? I got to all the same classes you do! ...I think..." Given that he couldn't really remember the blonde girl, but he assumed she went to the academy and, to his knowledge, they all took the same classes.

"Nuh-uh. Girls have to take extra classes. I bet I know things even your brother doesn't."

"No you don't!"

"Do too!"

"Aniki!" Sasuke's head whipped around, "Prove it! Show her you know better."

Naruto looked supremely unimpressed, "Do you know how to dance? Do you know the proper flowers to have in a bouquet for a wedding in Iwa instead of here? Or the difference in the ones made for a funeral versus the ones given to a family in mourning? Do you know which type of kimono should be worn to sneak around in the Fire Daimyo's palace without anyone ever noticing?"

Itachi blinked, "I do know how to dance, yes. My mother taught me. But no, I do not have the rest of that knowledge."

Naruto grinned, "I do~"

Sasuke gaped. This little blonde girl knew things even _Itachi_ didn't?!

"All of us girls do. I _told_ Hanako-sensei it was stupid that the boys weren't learning this stuff! If any of this comes up on a mission and you boys don't have a girl on your team, you guys are screwed."

Sasuke scowled. First the girl pounced on him like some blonde feline, then insulted him and his knowledge, then showed up _Itachi_! And now she was saying they were pretty much hopelessly doomed without her or another girl on their team. The nerve of the chit! The sheer, overwhelming arro-

He blinked again as she held out her hand, smiling down at him. To help him up, he realized. Sasuke huffed, but accepted her help and let her pull him back to his feet. She looked at him again, leaning forward, then shrugged, "You're not so bad, I guess. Better than some of the jerks in class, anyway."

Sasuke suspected that was her way of saying she approved of him.

"...Still don't see why all the others are gaga over you, though."

He hid his face in his hand while Itachi chuckled behind him. Sasuke almost squeaked -but _didn't!_ \- when Itachi picked him up and put him on his shoulders. "It was lovely to meet you, Naruto-chan, but Sasuke and I have to get home."

"Kay~! Nice ta meetcha, too."

She waved as Itachi carried him away. Sasuke leaned over his brother's shoulder, "She was weird."

"You think so?"

" _Yeah_. C'mon, Aniki, did you _see_ her?"

"Sasuke!" They turned -or Itachi did, it amounted to the same thing- to see Naruto with her hands cupped around her mouth, "If you want to learn all the other stuff you're missing out on, just sit by me or my sister, okay?! Bye!" She gave one last, grand wave, then turned and ran off.

Itachi smiled as he turned back around and started walking again, "Such a weird little girl, huh, Sasuke?"

Sasuke hummed as he watched where she'd disappeared, "She's not so bad. Better than the fangirls in class."

Itachi's smile turned into a smirk, "You think so?"

xxx

* * *

"Would anyone like to volunteer-"

"Me! I would!" Naruto's hand shot up and waved back and forth, as if there were any chance of her not being seen.

The teacher's head dropped, "Of course you would. Step up."

Naruto bounced forward and turned around to look at the crowd of other students, then grinned and made the sign of Confrontation, "I challenge... Sasuke!"

The girls around gasped scandalously, which made the guys, Sasuke, and Naruto all roll their eyes. Sasuke stepped forward, his own fingers in the Sign, "I accept your challenge."

The teacher called time and Naruto wasted none, launching herself at Sasuke immediately, grinning hugely as she threw herself into the fight. He dodged her expertly, head tilting to the side to miss her punch, then ducking under it when she turned it into a swipe. He shot forward under her guard and delivered a punch that sent her tumbling back, but she rolled with it and bounced back up.

Sasuke came at her and spun into a kick that Naruto didn't even bother trying to dodge, crossing her wrists to block and stopping it cold, then tilted up to disrupt his ground. Sasuke didn't falter, though, simply turning it into a backflip to bring him back right again. Naruto pouted at him and rushed in. If she could just get one good punch in...

Naruto gasped as the entire world tilted, breath leaving her as she slammed into the ground on her back. She blinked and saw where Sasuke had grabbed her punch. He'd used her own momentum against her and flipped her over onto her back. He knelt with a knee on her chest, palm across her throat in victory, and the teacher called it.

She smirked as he got up. Okay, so maybe he was a _little_ better in taijutsu than she'd thought. No one else in class had been able to stand up to her hits, let alone use them against her. It was at least more fun this way.

The expression slid from her face as the class laughed around her, girls tittering like birds and making comments of how she had gotten exactly what she'd deserved and how dare she challenge Sasuke-kun? Just the Yamanaka clan failure messing up again.

Naruto let nothing show on her face as she began to push herself up, stopping and staring blankly at the hand held out for her, and suddenly the entire class was silent. Naruto glanced around and saw everyone watching her, then looked back to the hand Sasuke was offering to help her up. Sasuke apparently didn't care what the rest of the class was saying, he'd make his own opinions on Naruto, like she had with him.

The blonde smiled and took his hand, letting him pull her up. They stood only a little apart and curled their fingers into the Seal of Reconciliation. "Good match."

Naruto beamed at him, "You, too."

* * *

The whole classroom hushed in a creepily synchronized moment of quiet as the door opened, one small Uchiha standing in the doorway. Sasuke didn't give anyone the chance to turn him away. He closed the door behind him and looked around, spotting Naruto in an instant -the girl was hard to miss with her golden hair and decked out in orange as she was- and made his way over to her, sitting in the free seat next to her.

Ino on her opposite side, with a pink-haired girl on her other side, both gaped at them. Well, actually, the entire room gaped at them, teacher included. Naruto didn't, though, she just smiled and moved over her notes so he could see them. They were studying formal tea ceremony, or had been, before Sasuke broke their teacher.

Naruto rolled her eyes, "Hanako-sensei, the lecture?" If any of her other teachers had heard her prompting the lecturing teacher to go on, they'd have fainted from the shock. But even boring lectures were better than being stared at like a particularly interesting bug.

The woman stuttered a bit, but eventually got over her shock and hit her stride again, the rest of the students slowly following her example and getting back to work.

Sasuke cast Naruto a short look of thanks, she only smiled in response.

xxx

* * *

Sasuke blinked at the pure chaos that was the bedroom of one Naruto Yamanaka. "What...?"

Everyone stopped and turned to him as he appeared in the doorway, looking like a frightened doe ready to flee. He never got the chance as Naruto shoved a tray she'd been carrying into one Kiba Inuzuka's hold so hard he grunted and toppled backward- tray still held aloft. "Sasuke! Welcome to the Yamanaka Clan Study Night! C'mon in-" as if she gave him a choice! She wrapped iron fingers around his wrist and bodily dragged him over to the nearly dozen other kids all huddled around the bed, "-have a seat. I'll be right back, I have to get the next round of snacks."

Sasuke was an Uchiha. Unflappable. Unyielding. Stoic in the face of fear and danger. So it was -only by the thinnest of margins- that he managed not to call after her in panic as she left him alone in a room full of overenthusiastic strangers. "What... is all this?"

Ino looked up from the book she was reading with the pink-haired girl that seemed to be attached to her at the waist, "Didn't you hear Naruto? It's our Study Night. It used to be just Naru an' me, then we added Sakura. Then we needed some help and someone to test things on, so we dragged in Shikamaru. Then Naruto started inviting Shino. Kiba just kind of followed him one day, then Hinata. With so many people, we needed food for energy and brain power, which lured in Choji..."

Sasuke sweatdropped- and then Naruto came in with another tray, this one holding cookies, and the smell overwhelmed his hesitancies. He dove for them with the rest of the children, not the least bit opposed to shoving Kiba's head down as he reached for one of the treats. Maybe this study-night thing wouldn't be so bad after all...

xxx

* * *

Naruto focused on every tiny whisper of chakra running through her coils as she moved her fingers into the seal she needed. She'd been training on this for days to the exclusion of all else, including the written portion of the test. She had to get it this time. She _had_ to.

She cautiously reached inside for her chakra- and was promptly overwhelmed as it surged forth like an ocean unleashed, wiping out the careful image she'd been constructing in her mind and the illusion she'd been crafting flowed through her mental 'fingers' like water, washing away everything but the power of her core.

Naruto let out a cry as her chakra erupted out of her with an explosion of smoke that nearly engulfed the entire room. When it cleared away, she looked off to the side, holding in tears, not even having to look to know how supremely she'd just failed.

Iruka-sensei let out a sigh that made her flinch, "Naruto..."

She couldn't take it anymore. That sorrowful pity her favorite teacher was aiming at her, the petty satisfaction from the other instructors, and more: that prideful look that had been on Ino-nee's face when Naruto's name had been called. Ino had trusted her to pass, and she'd failed. Naruto closed her eyes on the tears that wanted to escape and ran out, past the teachers and heedless of Iruka-sensei's call, through the classroom where the others waited, running faster as Ino jumped up, her chair screeching against the floor, and called after her, "Naruto?! Naru!"

Tears clouded her vision as she ran. _Why me? Why is it always me?_

She'd taken the test twice before, yeah, in that smart-assy way she always did. She hadn't honestly believed she'd make it, and Ino had only rolled her eyes when she'd pouted and said she wasn't quite a ninja yet. But this time... this time they'd tried _together_ , and there wasn't a doubt in her mind Ino would make it.

But Naruto... Not her. Of course not. What the hell had she been thinking? The reject embarrassment of the Yamanaka clan, graduating with the Heir? Proving she was just as good as her precious sister and shutting up those damned clan elders that were always looking down on her? Yeah, right.

She got outside and tripped over a tree root, catching herself on the swing and clutching it tightly as her shoulders shook. _Failure. Reject. Demon-child_.

What had she been thinking to believe that she could prove them wrong, that she could show them that she wasn't worthless? She wasn't a ninja, she wasn't a Yamanaka, she wasn't anything.

* * *

Ino approached the silent girl on the swing, "Naruto? Come on, let's go home. Kaachan and Tousan will be waiting for us."

Crystal blue eyes opened and looked at her, catching sight of the hitai-ate she tried to hide behind her back, holding so much pain that she gasped. But then they closed. Closed in that masking, slit-eyed smile, and she shook her head, voice rough enough that it couldn't hide what her expression tried to, "No thanks. You go, they'll want to hear how good you did. I'm going to just... stay out here for a while longer."

Ino shifted in place. She wanted to run home, to tell her parents how well she'd done, that she was really a kunoichi now. But more than that, she wanted to do that with _Naruto_. Her sister had always been there with her, by her side since they were born. How could she leave her now? She felt Naruto's pain as sharply as if it were her own. How could they _fail_ her, _Naruto_? There was no one more determined to show she was going to be the kunoichi of the age.

Naruto was going to show the whole world, become the first female hokage. Ino had spent the last month watching and listening as Naruto tried again and again to get the academy jutsu down, reciting their lessons for her like Kaachan did with plants since Naruto had a profound dislike for books and scrolls. She remembered smiling as she heard Naru cheer each time she got one of the techniques right, a bright little bubble of pride in her chest when Kaachan sprang random questions on them and Naruto was able to give the answers- exactly as Ino had told them to her.

The praise of their teachers and classmates had rested bitter on her tongue. How could they have passed _her_ and not Naruto? That was her little sister those stupid teachers had made run from the room crying- and Naruto _never_ cried _ever_.

How could Ino just leaver her here, alone?

"...Are you sure?"

Naruto nodded, looking away from her, "Yeah. I just want to be alone for a little bit."

Ino stepped forward and ran her hand through Naru's bangs, kissing her forehead like she'd seen Kaachan do so many times, "Okay..."

* * *

Naruto stared up at the stars as they began to come out. Her tears had run out and she was left feeling... empty. There was no more disappointment or bitter despair inside, she was just hollow. The others were gone, and she was, once again, all alone. She raised her hand to the brightest star and closed it into a fist, but when she brought it down and opened it, it was -of course, she scolded herself- empty.

Left behind while others shot onward towards their dreams. Naruto felt a visceral sympathy for the lone tree whose swing she was on: reaching for the sky she stood alone. She smiled sadly and shook her head.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't go home and celebrate her failure with the family. Couldn't pretend that Ino's success and the praise of the rest of the family wouldn't tear her apart inside. She couldn't face her mother's disappointment in her. Kaachan had believed so much that they'd both make it, had spoken of making both their favorites for dinner in celebration. Naruto couldn't face that, the food would taste like ash on her tongue.

Naruto looked up in surprise at a pair of Chuunin-standard sandals and pants entered her vision, blinking at the person in front of her, "Mizuki-sensei?"

"Naruto, just the kunoichi I was looking for."

She held in a scoff and looked away, "I'm no kunoichi."

Mizuki knelt down in front of her with a friendly smile, "Would you like to be?"


	3. Chapter 3 - And So It Begins

**So... yeah. Lots of people asked me to continue this, and my own plot bunnies sort of leapt at the chance. I have to the end of the Wave arc preeeetty much finished. (Still need to polish and round out the fights.)**

 **And I may be guilty of putting up some loooong chapters\one-shots in my time, but even at my craziest I'm not going to post a 60K+ chapter of anything.**

 **...**

 **Yes, you heard (read) right: the reason it took so long to continue this is because it's STUPIDLY long. Don't even ask how. So the way this is going to work is that I've broken it down into more managable chapters and will post one of these per weekday. (That is: Mon-Fri.) Until the end of the Wave Arc, and then I'm going back to posting my Soul Eater fics on my usual Friday schedule. I do not yet know if I'll do the Chuunin Exams and\or beyond, but if I do, it'll most likely be in a more snap-shot like format as the first two chapters were.**

 **From this point on, I have taken up my own challenge and am writing this as a sapling from the 'seed' and following my own rules. Seed is still there for anyone else who'd like to try it, this is my take. Naruto's Pairing(s, no poly, you'll have to read to find out) already decided. Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **And off we go.**

* * *

Ino took off her sandals slowly, unable to summon up the proper enthusiasm for having passed. "Tadaima." She muttered.

Makoto leaned around the corner with a huge smile, "Okaeri, Ino-chan." Her green eyes narrowed as she looked about, "...Where's Naruto?"

Ino winced and finally glanced up at her mother, the look in her eyes telling the story before she even shook her head.

* * *

Naruto had that feeling she always got about five minutes after one of her pranks had been discovered; she leaned back with a foxy grin and, sure enough: there stood Iruka-sensei, arms crossed and scowling down at her, "Eheh... Hi, Sensei."

"Naruto, explain yourself."

"I'm sorry! I didn't expect you to find me so fast, but don't worry, Sensei, I managed to learn one of the Jutsu so I pass, right?"

"Pass? Naruto, what are you talking about?"

"It's a special test, to graduate. All the student has to do is take this scroll and learn one of the Jutsu inside it, yeah? I was gonna surprise you and learn a bunch just to prove I could, but you found me too quick."

He shook his head, hands falling at his side, "Where did you get an idea like that?"

"Mizuki-sensei told me about it. He- s-sensei?" She jumped up in worry as Iruka's face lost all blood, "Iruka-sensei?"

"Naruto, listen to me, take the scroll back to the Hokage right now, report and tell him I agree."

Something wasn't quite right here. She tilted her head, "But I didn't even show it to you yet..."

"Naruto, now-" His head whipped to the side and before Naruto knew it, he struck out at her chest with Chuunin strength and speed, sending her flying back into the bushes. Naruto's eyes widened, unable to look away as the multitude of blurs that could only be kunai and shuriken buried themselves into her favorite teacher's body with sickening, fleshy, _thuds_.

"SENSEI!"

Naruto couldn't move, all she saw was Iruka falling back, all she heard was his pained groans- and a terrifying laugh. Naruto's heartbeat almost drowned out her hearing as she turned her head in the direction the assault had come from, the move taking a single second that stretched an eternity. "M-Mizuki-sensei?"

It didn't make sense. She must have fallen asleep while she was studying the Jutsu, and this was all part of one hellish nightmare. There was no other possible excuse for one of her favorite teachers to murder his best friend in front of her. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. _It couldn't be!_ Naruto formed her shaking hands into a single Seal, "Kai." Nothing changed and she did it again, pulsing her chakra higher, "Kai!" She shook her head as the horror before her refused to change, "KAI!"

It stayed the same. _It stayed the same_. Mizuki still laughed, Iruka still lay on the ground, his blood still trickled from the wounds. Dear gods, Naruto could smell it, the copper tang in the air. It- it was _real_. Mizuki had stood up for her, _helped her_ , and now, and now... Now he- he...

"What have you done? Why- WHY?!"

"N-Naruto..."

Her head whipped around so quick her neck creaked painfully, but she couldn't care. Her legs gave out on her and she crawled towards the voice, "Iruka-sensei. It'll-it'll be okay. You'll be okay, I promise. I'll get help."

"Naruto, run. Don't let Mizuki get the scroll."

"Naruto! Give me the scroll!" She flinched at the sound of Mizuki's voice, turning and grabbing the scroll, pulling it close to her as she watched him warily. He grinned evilly at her, and Naruto inched farther away. Mizuki held out his hand, "Give me the scroll, and I'll help Iruka."

"He's lying! Naruto, run!"

" _I'm_ lying? That's rich. I'll tell you who's _really_ lying to you."

Iruka tried to push himself up, wincing in pain, "Don't do it, Mizuki!"

Naruto's grip tightened on the scroll and she backed away, unsure which teacher to trust, "Wh-what are you talking about? Who's lying?"

The white-haired Chuunin smirked and leaned forward, "Why, the entire village has been lying to you for years, Naruto." He was using his friendly voice again, the same voice he used when he helped her work through a hard equation before class, "Everyone knows about it except you. Twelve years ago, the night of the Kyuubi no Yoko's attack, a decree was made. You see, the fox wasn't actually killed, it was sealed away. Sealed into the body of a newborn baby." Time slowed down around Naruto and she shook her head, "That baby... was you. The fox that slaughtered the villagers, the beast that killed mine and Iruka's parents, the _thing_ responsible for all the deaths that day, is _you_. You _are_ the Nine Tailed Fox!"

"No!" She couldn't be- she _wasn't_ the fox! ...Was she? Her mother would _never_ have risked that, risked her, "My parents wouldn't-"

"That's not even the worst of it."

She didn't want to know. Call her a coward, but Naruto just _knew_ , she didn't want to hear whatever was about to come out of his mouth.

"You, Fox, _killed_ your own parents. The Yamanaka clan only took you in out of pity for the poor little orphan demon."

Naruto's heart skipped a beat, a rushing sound filling her ears.

'Superfetation'. That was the answer she and Ino had been given when they'd asked why Ino was a month older than Naruto: Makoto's hormones had been acting up and she had gotten pregnant while already pregnant. Medical Jutsu had been used to help deliver Ino while leaving Naruto to fully develop. They'd bragged about it to their friends; Naruto remembered Shikamaru saying how incredibly rare it was: less than a dozen confirmed cases in the Land of Fire.

 _Lies_. Why she couldn't get any of the clan Jutsu no matter how hard she tried. Why the other children -and half the adults- called her a demon-child. Why the elders looked at her like she'd killed their puppy. _Because she had_.

Naruto staggered. _Oh, gods. It's all my fault._ Her vision swam and she fell back, sliding down the trunk of the tree behind her and staring at Mizuki with wide eyes. She raised her shaking hands and stared at them like they belonged to someone else. _Hinamoto Yamanaka, Takakura Yamanaka, Toriko Yamanaka._ She knew the names of the dead for her clan- went to pay her respects to the shrine dedicated to them every October tenth on her birthday. And she'd been the one who'd killed them.

Her parents- her _birth parents_ , she'd killed them, too. _Iruka's_ parents, Mizuki's. She'd killed them all.

Her chest heaved for breath as the world narrowed down to her hands. Her shaking, blood-stained hands. She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, howl that it hadn't been her, that it wasn't her fault. But the crushing pain in her chest said otherwise, the twisting knot in her stomach an accusation she couldn't ignore.

"Naruto. Naruto!"

She looked up to see Mizuki glaring at her- she could hardly blame him, she probably wouldn't feel too chipper around her parents' murder, either. _Oh, wait, that's still me, isn't it?_ She wanted to laugh, the hysterical little bubble of laughter seemed caught in her throat. Mizuki reached back and unclasped one of the huge, dai shuriken he carried, bringing it forward, hate-filled eyes pinning her in place as surely as all the kunai and shuriken pinned Iruka, "Now... _die!_ "

She couldn't move. She didn't think her legs would hold her, they were shaking so bad. She could do nothing but stare as death came for her.

Naruto jerked violently at the liquid _squelch_ , eyes widening in horror at the sight before her. "K-Kaachan?"

Makoto Yamanaka, head bowed, braced her arms against the tree above Naruto's head, body shaking, "Are you unharmed, my Little Sea Storm?"

Naruto's chest tightened unbearably, a sharp breath sucked in through her teeth as she pushed herself to her knees and reached out, "Why? Why would you risk yourself for me? I'm not even your daughter. Why?!"

She stared up into watery green eyes that looked back at her. Looked at her with no fear, no condemnation, no hate. Just the pure, shining love that had always been there. "Bec-cause, you _are_ my daughter. I h-held you, nursed you, s-sang to you every night. I laid you on my chest and wat-watched you fall asleep to my heartbeat. You're my beautiful baby girl, who n-never lets life get her down, and I couldn't... couldn't possibly be prouder of you, Naru-chan, even if you were Hokage."

Makoto fell to her knees with her eyes closed, clinging to the tree for support, "Kaachan!"

"Give me the scroll!"

Naruto looked between Iruka and her mother, both injured, both bleeding, both in need of help. Then she turned to Mizuki, her storm-colored eyes hard, and held up the scroll, "You want it? _Come get it!_ "

She turned around and took off through the trees.

* * *

"Can you... can you move?"

"Sure thing. Just... give me a minute. I've got a... few soldier pills here somewhere."

"D-do you think... do you think she'll be okay?"

Makoto looked up and over at the injured Chuunin with a gleaming smile, "Are you kidding? 'Course she will, she _is_ my daughter, after all."

* * *

"I know you're here, little girl. Come out and show yourself, if not, I may just have to go back and finish off those weaklings to draw you out."

Pure, burning hatred shot through Naruto's veins and she closed her eyes to breathe and control herself.

 _Naruto curled in on herself as she watched the sun setting, ignoring the presence behind her. It never left, even after twenty minutes of silence, and Naruto finally turned her head, "How can you still love me? I put that boy in the hospital. The other kids all called me 'demon-child'."_

 _She felt warm arms wrap around her, "Naru-chan... You're going to make mistakes greater than this someday. If you become a ninja, you'll bear a heavy burden, and you_ _ **will**_ _make mistakes, mistakes that will get people injured, killed. And when that day comes, as this day's come, I will still love you just as strongly as ever. I may sometimes be disappointed in your behavior or actions, but I will never stop loving you." She knelt in front of Naruto and leaned forward until their foreheads touched, "True love is unconditional. You're my baby, I'll always love you no matter what happens." She smiled, "It's a mom-thing."_

Naruto took a deep breath and centered herself. _Forgive me my actions and love me after this, Kaachan._ Naruto stepped out into the clearing from behind the tree, frosted eyes on the white-haired Chuunin, "If you _ever_ touch my loved ones, _I'll kill you_."

Mizuki watched in confusion as she began to glow, but he wasn't one to wait around, he unclipped his second dai shuriken and set it spinning in his grasp, running towards her with all the speed a Chuunin was capable of. Naruto wasn't even a Genin. He smirked as the blade tore through her.

His expression fell as she smiled for one instant- before disappearing in a puff of smoke. "Can't even hit an Academy student, 'sensei'?"

He spun around to see her on the opposite side of the clearing, still glowing. Mizuki frowned and tossed a few kunai at her, but even Academy students could dodge weapons they saw coming. Substitution, had to be, with a leaf or something.

He shook his head and ran for her again, skidding into a slide and twisting as she dodged to the side. The little demon was _toying_ with him; slipping back just beyond arms' reach each time he lunged. She was _taunting_ him, looking like she was dancing around the clearing, just beyond reach.

Furious, Mizuki shot forward, his oversized weapon lashing out, and pinned her to a tree by the neck. The blonde struggled fruitlessly against the dai shuriken digging into her throat, a crimson rill of blood rolling down her neck from a cut.

Mizuki smirked at her and picked up the scroll. He had no more use for her and turned away across the clearing. He halted at the sound of bell-chime laughter that seemed to echo from all sides at once. He turned around and stared wide-eyed at a smirking blonde holding his shuriken in one hand- _and the scroll in the other_. His gaze shot to the scroll in his grasp just in time to receive an uppercut to the jaw from the Shadow Clone coming out of its Transformation.

Mizuki rolled back to his feet, eyes burning hatred at the devious fox demon. Naruto whipped the shuriken- out into the forest, then she turned back to him and cocked a finger, "Now try it without your toys."

Mizuki growled, glaring at the blonde over the tall grass, and shunshined behind her, landing a vicious kick to the small of her back that should have been enough to break her spine- had she not dissolved into smoke like all the rest. Mizuki threw back his head and screamed, "SHOW YOURSELF!"

More lyrical laughter surrounded him from all sides, mocking him. He spun in place, trying to find her, spreading his senses as far as he could, swiping angrily at the over-tall grass obscuring his vision.

Mizuki froze in place, staring at the grass nearly as tall as he was. He'd entered a _clearing_ , none of the foliage had been above his ankles when he'd first called the blonde out. The grass rustled behind him and he whipped around to see Naruto -or another clone- staring at him, as her hands flashed through Seal after Seal, "Hidden Art: Nature Restraints!"

Mizuki grunted as the wispy strands around him wrapped themselves tightly around his limbs. Five-foot tall blades of grass wrapped his legs from his ankles to his knees, more of the hardy plants twining themselves around his wrists. He jerked in their grip, hissing in pain as the wiry strands pulled tight and cut into his skin.

He refused to let himself panic and looked around for his shuriken, "This won't hold me long. Rope-Escape Jutsu is one of the first things we teach you Academy students!"

"I don't need it to hold you long, just long enough for me to do this." Before Mizuki could react, Naruto was _right there_ in front of him. She flashed through four more Hand Seals and then touched his stomach and forehead at the same time, "Kino Secret Art: Eternal Chakra Drain!"

There was a flash of light behind his eyes and Mizuki screamed, all his chakra draining from his body like blood from a wound, his life energy seeping away. He could almost... almost see it, going... somewhere. But he lost it before he could tell, brutally ripped from his system. He fell to his knees, his legs giving out on him. The last thing he saw before his vision faded was a pair of storm blue eyes boring into his soul- and then everything went black.

* * *

Naruto sat back against the tree with a deep sigh, gaze fixed on the leafy canopy above. It gradually began lightening. She estimated it was just before dawn when Iruka and Kaachan found her. They helped bolster each other and knelt down in front of Mizuki.

Makoto gasped when she saw the white-haired Chuunin, "Holy shit." Her gaze shot to her daughter, "You Drain Sealed his chakra system. You _permanently_ Drain Sealed his chakra system! Where in the world did you learn that technique?!"

Naruto waved a hand sleepily, "Old Kino Clan scrolls in the back of the storage room Tousan made me clean out the last time I pulled a prank on the Clan Elders."

Iruka looked between them, "Uh, care to fill me in?"

Makoto shook her head, "That's S-Class chakra manipulation- how did you do it?"

Naruto shrugged, "Tapped into his Third Eye and Chakra Center, created a Sink, and routed it into the closest Leyline."

Iruka fumbled as Makoto nearly dropped him, "Holy shit..."

Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of her head, "Control's not so hard when I can tap into the Leylines."

Iruka gave up, "So what was the Jutsu you learned from the scroll, Naruto?"

The blonde smiled at him, "The Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Can you show me?"

"...I _am_ showing you, sensei."

Makoto and Iruka both blinked, "What?"

The blonde's face was almost swallowed by her foxy grin as she pointed up. They followed where she pointed. There, in the branches of the tree above, lay Naruto, softly snoring away. Mako snorted and covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter, as Iruka shook his head with a smile.

"Naruto, I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes."

The clone did so, fidgeting in place, "Can I open them?"

Makoto answered, "Not yet."

A minute later, Iruka sat back, "Now you can."

Naruto blinked open her eyes to see Iruka without his hitai-ate. Kaachan smiled at her and tapped her own forehead. Naruto reached up and her fingers contacted cold metal. She pulled it off in a rush and stared disbelievingly at it. A hitai-ate - _Iruka's_ hitai-ate- with her mother's deep green, nearly black bandana that she always wore around her neck and _never took off ever._

Her teacher smiled at her, "Congratulations, Naruto: you graduate."

She looked between the headband - _her headband_ \- and back to Iruka's bare forehead, her mother's bare neck -a dark, jagged scar tossed into dappled light- and threw herself at the both of them.

The pair went down under her with matching pained groans as she laughed, "Thank you!"

Makoto laughed with her, "That's my little Kunoichi. My Little Sea Storm." Her gaze traveled up to the sleeping form of her daughter in the tree while her clone tried to strangle the both of them in grateful hugs, "Rage on."

xxx

 **It isn't that this Naruto COULDN'T use the Shadow Clone Jutsu to the same effect that canon-Naru did, but that, raised a different way and taught things besides what canon-Naru knew, she had a different mindset and different disposition, which led to different strategy and choices. Naruto wasn't certain of the new Jutsu she'd just learned minutes before, and her instinct was to use the techniques she's relied upon her whole life- just like canon-Naruto's instinct is to use the first two Jutsu he ever mastered.**

 **And yes, the Chakra Draining Jutsu was inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender~**

XXX


	4. Chapter 4 - My Name is Konohamaru!

Naruto sat on her bed, staring at her goggles before flopping back in frustration. Her mother's soft laughter attracted her attention and she sat up to see Kaachan leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed. The retired Jounin straightened up and stepped into the room proper, "Having a problem?"

Naruto sighed and held her goggles out in front of her with both hands, "I don't know what to do about them. I can't just throw them away, these are special. They've been on my head for _years_ , they're, like, a milestone in my life."

"You could still wear them, and wear your Hitai-ate somewhere else- your neck, for example."

Naruto fixed her with one of those looks only children could give their parents, "Kaachan, it's a _headband_ , I'm not wearing it on my _neck_."

"Ino wore hers as a belt last night."

The blonde scrunched her nose, "Yeah, but... That's just so _girly_."

Makoto held a hand to her chest dramatically, "The horror." She laughed and easily caught the pillow her daughter threw at her head.

"Kaachan, this is _serious_."

Mako's chuckles trailed off as she sat on the bed next to Naruto and pulled her close, leaning over her shoulder to look at the goggles in question with her, "Well... Maybe you could use them to start a Memory Wall."

Curious ocean eyes glanced up at her, "Memory Wall?"

"Yep. Lots of young shinobi start them. A wall of trophies they can look back on and remember their greatest accomplishments. Your goggles could be the first marker in your life, then these-" she pulled gently at Naruto's pierced ears and the whirlpool earrings in them, "-when you make Chuunin and get matching studs with your team. Eventually leading up to putting your new headband up when you finally get that hat you're reaching for."

Naruto tilted her head, "Hmmm... I dunno. Maybe. Can I think about it some more before I decide?"

Makoto looked at her with a blank expression, "No, you have to decide this second. I'm stealing your goggles and turning them into seedling planters if you don't reserve them for the Wall otherwise."

The new Kunoichi gave her a dry look, "You know, when you say it like that, it's hard to tell if you're being serious or not."

Mako gave her a completely innocent smile, "You'll never know."

Naruto ducked out from under the playful ruffling of her hair and put the goggles in her pocket, "I'll think about it more and figure it out later."

Her Kaachan nodded, "Are you going to go poke your sister awake and tell her you made it?"

Naruto grinned and shook her head, "Nah. I want it to be a surprise. I want to go get my picture taken early before she gets up and wait for her at the Academy."

"Sneaky little thing. ...I like it~ Want some breakfast, or you gonna grab some on the way?"

She bounced to her closet and pulled out an exact copy of the orange jacket she'd dirtied last night, "Out. Iruka-Sensei promised me ramen if I passed, and... I passed~!"

Mako chuckled as she stood up, "That you did. I'm proud of you, Naru-chan."

The small blonde's smile was heart-melting, "Thanks. Are you alright now?"

"Right as rain. Iruka probably is, too, now, with how all the cute little Medi-nins were swarming over him. Go ahead, Naruto-chan, I'll be here when you get back."

She pulled on her jacket and tied her hair up into its signature twin tails, hesitating for only a second before tying her Hitai-ate into the place of honor her goggles had once occupied, "Kay, later!" She kissed her mother's cheek and dashed out.

It didn't take Naruto long to find her favorite teacher; they both had the exact same responses to good news and recovering from injuries or illness: Ichiraku ramen. Iruka and Naruto shared a special bond that came from two enthusiastic souls sharing a deep respect and love for something. The something in this case being a certain stand's outstanding noodles. Paired with how Iruka used to be as much of a prankster as Naruto herself was, the scarred Chuunin was practically her older brother. Kaachan had all but adopted him anyway, with all the times Iruka-sensei had walked Naruto home after detentions and been invited to dinner. It wasn't like he had family waiting on him to get back home.

Naruto's steps slowed as she approached the stand, lagging the closer she got as her thoughts swarmed her. By the time she was only a street away, she couldn't force herself to take another step. Naruto leaned around the building to look and sure enough saw the familiar short ponytail that marked her favorite Chuunin, arm moving animatedly as he talked with Teuchi about something. Naruto couldn't bring herself to move from her hiding spot as she watched him.

Her mother would always love her, even if they weren't blood. Even if she was a monster- even if she was a demon. Naruto didn't doubt that anymore. But Iruka wasn't Kaachan. She didn't even know how Ino would react to the news, she wasn't sure she wanted to. And she hadn't really gotten to talk to Iruka last night with everything that had happened. She was still the Kyuubi, wasn't she? Still the one who had taken Iruka's parents from him. What right did she have to impose on his space, on the place he frequented, on his time? What right did she have to try and coerce ramen out of him when she'd killed his family?

"If you don't hurry up, I'll eat it all without youuu~!"

Naruto jerked in place like she'd been hit with one of Kaachan's famous Lightning Jutsu, her feet moving her forward without any input from her mind. She fidgeted in place next to Iruka as he waved Teuchi for Naruto's usual order. She took her normal spot to his left and chewed at her lip.

"What's wrong Naruto?"

She glanced over at him, the shine of a brand new Hitai-ate catching the early morning sun from his forehead. Naruto couldn't help reaching up and touching her new matching one, feeling the tiny scuffs and scratches from a headband worn for years. She let her hand fall and looked away, "Iruka-sensei?"

"What is it?"

"Why... Why are you nice to me? None of the other adults are, and I know why, now... But, why are _you_ nice? Even Mizuki-sensei was because- But you... you pushed me out of the way, let yourself get hurt just to save me. Why?"

"Naruto..." he sighed, "It's true that the fox killed my parents-" she flinched, but he went on, "-but you _aren't_ the fox." She glanced over at him to see Iruka looking down and poking at his ramen with a smile, "Actually, I guess you could say it was sort of my fault they died." Naruto jerked in place, her head coming up to stare at him, "You see, I snuck out to the front lines to fight with them. They sent me away, and when I refused to go, they told me it was a parent's duty to protect their children. They had another shinobi take me away to safety. They didn't die for foolish reasons; my parents died for what they believed in. They died as heroes, protecting their village, protecting me." He looked at her and smiled, "They died to protect the future of the Leaf, and I want to live my life how they lived. Because even though they're dead, my parents aren't gone. They live on in me, and in the will and knowledge I instill in you and all my other students. So I'll live my life the way they would have wanted me to, and I'll protect the future of the Leaf- and that includes our resident prankster and future Hokage."

Naruto poked at her own ramen as Teuchi set it in front of her and turned back around to give them privacy, "You didn't kill them."

Iruka reached over and ruffled her hair, "Neither did you. You're entering a new phase of your life, Naruto. It'll be full of strife and mistakes, regrets and sorrows enough as it is, don't take on guilt that isn't even yours. Keep your head up and keep on keeping on like you always do; I know you'll make it."

Naruto reached back up to touch her Hitai-ate again, feeling the tiny scuffs and scratches from a headband worn for years. Years of experiences and care that Iruka had trusted her with, the same headband that had kept him safe for so long. She smiled softly as warmth settled in her chest, chasing away the cold dread that had been encasing her heart since Mizuki's accusations the night before. Her hand fell away, and she beamed up at her favorite teacher with her signature foxy grin, "Believe it!"

She turned and dug into her ramen with renewed vigor, her appetite reasserting itself, especially since she'd skipped dinner because of the whole mess before. Iruka copied her and waved Teuchi over for another round.

* * *

"Naruto, you need to retake your photo..."

She pouted at the Hokage. Naruto looked down at her file, where her own blonde visage grinned back at her, leaned too close to the camera, both hands in twin victory signs on either side of her closed eyes, "What? It looks like me..."

"This," Hiruzen tapped the photo with a single finger, "is not the photo of a professional. You want to be taken seriously as a Kunoichi, don't you?"

"It's only fair someone who sees my photo know what kind of person they're getting, right? And this," she leaned forward and tapped the shiny photo paper, "is me."

The door behind her slid open and a shout filled the small space, "Hiyaaa! Today I take that hat from you, old man! Prepare to- agh!" Naruto blinked at the small form that tripped over its scarf and sent a shuriken skidding across the floor. She pinned the stray weapon in place beneath her sandal.

Naruto crossed her arms and tilted her head, "Well your first mistake was announcing your attack... Your second was not checking your wardrobe. And your third," her lips split into a grin, "was thinking that you'd get your hands on that hat before _me_."

The young boy looked up at her wonderingly for a moment before jumping to his feet and pointing at her accusingly, "You! You tripped me!"

Naruto narrowed her eyes and her foot shot out. The boy squeaked and flinched as the shuriken below her foot disappeared in a flash and sunk into the wall with a satisfyingly hollow _'thunk!'_ , pinning him to the wall by the end of his scarf. "No excuses. Accept your mistakes and push ever onward; that's the only way to overcome your weaknesses!"

The door opened further to permit another and Naruto turned away with a sigh as she saw an adult she recognized. The blue-clad ninja went to his knees before the kid, "Honorable grandson, are you okay?" then he caught sight of the shuriken holding the child in place, "Wha- Who would dare attack the Honorable Grandson?!"

He whipped around and Naruto grinned ferally at him, giving a half-assed wave that, to a shinobi with any self-respect, was more insulting than if she had just ignored him, "Yo."

Naruto could see his brows settle into a scowl even above his dark, eye-hiding glasses, "Hmph, I should have expected the Kyuubi Brat to be at fault."

Her entire body tensed, ever-so-subtly beginning to glow. Tokubetsu Jounin or fucking not, Naruto wasn't about to let him put her down like that anymore! She was _not_ the fox! And if anyone would know, it'd be Iruka-sensei. He didn't acknowledge her slipping into an aggressive stance at all, in fact, he _turned his back on her_ , to go back to the boy again.

"Honorable Grandson, I know you want to be Hokage like your grandfather; just pay attention to my lessons and I'll have you on the fast-track to becoming Hokage in no time."

Naruto turned away in disgust and waved off her leader's concerns, "It's who I am, Hokage-Jiji, if the clients don't want me because of one picture in spite of my skills, I've got more things to worry about than looking professional."

Sarutobi sighed and let her go, biting his pipe and hiding a smile as his grandson slipped out after her in the middle of his teacher's lecture. Naruto slipped through the early morning streets, hands threaded together behind her head as she muttered in anger about the asshole Jounin.

She ground her teeth until her jaw ached, "Let that bastard ignore me when I'm Hokage! I'll give him a post in a hellish northern region, just see if I don't!" Naruto's hands dropped, her right trailing down to her chest and clenching in the fabric over her heart. There was a storm inside her chest, a rolling thunder that drowned out the shouts and jeers of the villagers, blinding lightning striking every time another person turned their back on her. But through it all, there was the image of her mother smiling at her. Naruto would show the whole village that Kaachan's faith in her wasn't misplaced, she'd make them sit up and take notice, show them all what a flower girl could do! A Yamanaka that couldn't do Yamanaka Jutsu, she'd show them all. She was going to take the world by storm, and no one was going to ignore her ever again.

She took a deep breath and blew it out, calming down, and the pain in her chest faded enough to pull her hand away. Her ocean blue eyes glittered with her determination, a maelstrom ready to strike. Then they blinked as she halted in place, staring disbelievingly at lumpy, sideways slats of fencing. "...The slats are supposed to go the _same direction_ as the real ones..."

"Aha! Just to be expected of my rival!"

Naruto blinked again, "Rival?" Dear Kami above. Naruto hated studying; her sister had to chain her in place to get her to open a book or scroll, and only ever actually got somewhere if she read out loud to her. She was the clan failure and had never been able to do a single one of the Jutsu. She was a prankster who caused chaos just to be noticed.

And she had never failed so spectacularly at being a ninja as using the Cloak of Invisibility _turned the wrong way_. Not even in her early years. If this was the extent of the kid's knowledge on being a shinobi, Naruto's opinion of that idiot Ebisu fell even further if he was even a pseudo-sensei.

The kid nodded and pointed at her, "My rival for being Hokage!"

"Kid, at this point, 'rival' is an affront to my pride as a ninja. You tripped over your own scarf and then blamed someone else, then used a cloak the wrong way and attributed unnecessary skill to the one who saw through it. You aren't my 'rival'. At this point I'd be rather embarrassed to call you an Academy student."

He wilted more with every word, "I'll get there someday... Ebisu said-"

Naruto felt her teeth nick the inside of her cheek as her eyes narrowed, "Tch. I will _never_ be your rival so long as you follow that jackass." the boy flinched back at the dark look on her face and she knelt down in front of him, "There is no 'fast-track' to being the greatest ninja in the village, and that asshat is a liar for claiming anything else. That hat goes only to the one most worthy of it, the strongest shinobi. There _is_ no shortcut to that, power is the result of effort expended. It takes work and practice and _years_ , and anyone who says otherwise is a damn fool." she stared deeply into his wide eyes, "Are you a damn fool?"

He shook his head, "No way! I'm Konohamaru Sarutobi!"

Naruto gave him her signature foxy grin and laid a hand on his helmeted head, "Nice to meet you, Konohamaru. I'm Naruto Yamanaka, and I'm going to become the first female Hokage!"

His eyes sparkled at her unwavering belief and he stood up on his tiptoes, "Teach me! Help me get stronger so I can be Hokage, too!"

She blinked at him, "You... want me to train you?"

Konohamaru nodded vigorously, "Yeah, yeah! Teach me, Boss!"

Naruto cocked her head. Well... it wasn't like she had anything else to do before she had to head off to the Academy. And she liked Konohamaru's enthusiasm. He reminded her of herself a bit... even if his skills were a little lacking.

"Okay, I can do that." She nodded and stood up, "Let's see. We'll start with the three basic Academy Jutsu." she paused, "Or, well... two of them. Okay, what do you know about Substitution Jutsu?"

He blinked at her, "That... It's a Jutsu."

Naruto facefaulted, then chastised herself for thinking a child not even in the Academy yet would have it down. (Still, he _was_ part of the Sarutobi clan, wasn't he? What was that useless Jounin _teaching_ the kid?)

"Oookay, guess we'll start with the _basic_ -basics. You know what Jutsu _are_ , right?"

"Yeah, yeah! A ninja uses Jutsu by mixing the spiritual energy of the mind with the physical energy of the body. By mixing these two energies in different portions and focused through the use of different Hand Seals, they perform Ninja Techniques."

She smirked and looked at him sideways, "Been quoting the first-year books to yourself, have you~?"

Konohamaru blushed but leaned closer, "What's next?"

"Can you sense your own chakra yet?" Even most civilian students had some access to their chakra when they first entered the Academy, assuming they had any quantity of it.

"Yeah, I can do that. I can even do the Leaf Concentration Exercise."

Naruto hid her wince well. She didn't even want to think about that exercise... "That's pretty good chakra control for a Pre-Academy student." Or so she knew in theory. "Okay, the Replacement, or 'Substitution' Jutsu, works on this premise: you swap the chakra source that is your entire body with a previously 'primed' object."

"Primed?"

"You can sense your own chakra. Have you been able to feel the chakra traces you leave on things in the natural course of life?"

Konohamaru shrugged, "Kinda... I think."

"The idea is to 'charge' something with your chakra. Things you would normally touch in the course of battle: the trunk of a tree, leaves on the ground; anything, really. If you charge it with enough chakra to leave an 'imprint' or 'prime' for a couple minutes, then later in the battle, if you get into a situation where you can't dodge an opponent's attack, you can use the Replacement to swap those two sources of your chakra, leaving the object while you take its place. This can allow you to strike from an advantageous position if you swap with the right thing."

Her new student nodded, "I got it!"

Naruto smiled at him, "Then here." She held out an unsealed log from a quick-release seal and held it out to him, a kunai following, "Charge this with your chakra. It might help poking your finger; blood makes a stronger connection than chakra alone. Then I'll toss it and you use Substitution to trade places. It always works better if you have something of a similar 'mass'. You _can_ use things bigger or smaller, but the further it is from your own size, the more chakra it takes."

Konohamaru grabbed the kunai -properly, at least- and, looking away, jabbed his finger and wiped it on the log, staring intensely at it. He took a breath and finally let out a sigh a minute later, "Ready!" Naruto held up the log and pitched it like a javelin. It sailed through the air and landed on the ground a good three and a half yards away. Before Naruto could tell him the five Seals for new students to use until they got the hang of molding their chakra properly, Konohamaru's chakra surged and he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Naruto stared at the space he'd occupied, blinking. _No. Way..._ When she turned to look at the log, it felt like slow motion. Her blue eyes were wide as she caught sight of the young boy on his back three and a half yards away. She looked back as a blood-stained piece of wood clattered to the ground.

 _Sarutobi, right_. Was the kid one of those prodigy types? She stared at it unblinkingly. Just what the _fuck_ was Ebisu doing with this kid?!

Konohamaru grumbled as he picked himself up, "Ow..." his hands fisted determinedly as he looked at her, "Give me one more chance, Boss! I almost had it, I swear! I'll get it this time!"

"N-no problem. You can practice more later..." She shook her head and turned to him in earnest, "Let's move on to the Transformation Jutsu."

Konohamaru's face lit up, "I've heard of that one! Shinobi use it to turn into other people or things. If I could do that, I wouldn't have to use the cloak anymore!"

"This one is also a whole lot harder. You need to keep up a constant stream of chakra, and while you're doing that, you need to also keep the exact image you want in your mind. All of that while other things are going on around you, and if something touches you, you need to be able to alter the chakra flow in order maintain your form. For example, if you turned into a chair in an empty room, it probably won't be too hard to concentrate, but in a crowded classroom is another matter, and you'll need to exert more chakra if someone was to sit on that chair in order to keep it going. This is one of my best techniques because I have lots of chakra to put into it and don't have to worry much about varying it when I come into contact with things since I keep it at a consistently higher level than what the environment exerts on me." She paused and looked down at him, "...Understand?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I think so. Focus, constant chakra, careful 'bout stress."

"That's pretty much it. And now I'll demonstrate." She put her hands into the Ram Seal, "Transform!"

In an instant, Konohamaru was looking at an exact copy of himself, "Whoa!"

Her chakra surged again, "Transform!" Another poof, and she was suddenly an older blonde with bright silver-blue eyes and long, pale gold hair, done up in two Odango with twin tails streaming from them. She used this form a lot in order to get around the villagers when she was wanted to go out and eat alone without being charged ridiculous prices. ...She might also have been guilty of using it when she was being chased by other kids in order to scold them for being little pricks. She lifted a hand to run it across smooth, whisker-markless, pale cheeks. She looked back down at Konohamaru, "Now one thing to remember is that if you transform into an inanimate object, you have to surge or cut off your chakra in order to release the Jutsu or Transform into something else, since chairs obviously lack the fingers otherwise necessary."

Konohamaru nodded, "Got it! My turn." He put his fingers into the Ram Seal, "Transform!"

Naruto sweatdropped at the blubby... person-thing standing there, "...What exactly were you going for?"

He looked down at his arms, "A girl."

She laughed nervously, "I'm guessing Anatomy _isn't_ one of the things you've been learning..." Naruto scratched at her cheek for a minute, then waved him closer, "Follow me."

* * *

Naruto sighed and crossed her arms as they were tossed out of the store. Well it wasn't like she had her anatomy book on her, and there wasn't much difference between a proper shinobi anatomy book and a porn magazine. Just her luck the civilian-run store didn't accept her headband as a proper ID of age like a shinobi establishment would have been obligated to.

She grabbed Konohamaru's scarf and dragged him away, "Okay, new plan."

Five minutes later they were outside of the (shinobi) hotsprings. Naruto put her hands together in the familiar Seal and felt her chakra flow, "Transform." The smoke cleared away to show a young woman with vibrant, long gold hair and deep blue eyes, a large, bright red bow on the back of her head to hold her hair back.

Konohamaru blinked up at her, "Naruto?"

She grimaced, "Actually, in this form, I call myself Minako."

"But... why?"

She glanced away, fingers coming up to play with her hair, "Surely you noticed the look your Jounin tail gave me when he came in the room. I'm not... very 'well-liked', among the adults of the village. They say things... do things..." she clapped her hands together and turned back to him with a sunny smile that wasn't at all like 'Naruto's foxy grin, "So~! Let's go relax and soak for a bit. I could use the tension-relief."

He looked her up and down, "Should I...?"

She tilted her head and looked down at him, "Hmm... maybe not. You can't transform very well yet, and there's probably going to be a good bit of stress at first. Mixed bath it is."

She led him inside. After washing off thoroughly for the first time since the excitement the previous night, Minako sighed in pleasure to feel the grime sluice away. Konohamaru was doing everything in his power to look anywhere but at her. She didn't much care where he looked, actually. She was a Kunoichi now. She'd taken numerous classes before to get over any form of body shyness. Hell, their sensei had had them all strip down one day and point out each other's flaws. That had not been a fun day. But a Kunoichi had to be prepared to do battle in whatever state of dress (or undress) that could happen. If the enemy was bearing down on them, Hanako-sensei wanted their first instinct to be reaching for a weapon, not covering their nakedness.

Minako opened the doorway into the springs, barely covered by her towel with Konohamaru next to her in swimming trunks. She took off her towel at the edge and sank into the hot water with deep sigh.

"Minako."

Deep blue eyes opened and she smiled at the brunette, "Oh, hey, Tenten. Didn't know you'd be here today."

The 'younger' girl leaned her head back against the edge of the pool with a fantastic groan, her normally bunned-up hair down in a small cascade of chocolate locks, "Guy-sensei had us spar yesterday."

"That doesn't sound too bad..."

" _All_ day, yesterday." The blonde winced, having heard plenty of horror stories about the mysterious 'Guy-sensei' and his torture- er, _training_ techniques. Dark eyes opened again and flicked over to the young boy determinedly staring at the surface of the water and nothing else, "What about you?"

Minako reached up to massage the spot where her neck and shoulder met, "Rough time last night."

"Who's the kid?"

"That's Konohamaru. I'm watching him this morning since he got away from the idiot actually supposed to teach him. Hey, wanna help me with a lesson?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I'm trying to teach Kono-kun the Transformation Jutsu, but his anatomy lessons are lacking. And by 'lacking', I mean nonexistent."

Tenten leaned her head back and laughed, "That explains why he's three shades of red. Want to use me to provide variety, huh?"

Minako smiled and nodded, "Exactly." Minako's own proportions were based on Makoto, who was the most prominent female figure in her life. But most girls weren't as... 'talented' as her mother.

Tenten sat up straight with a slight groan and stood up next to Minako when she got up herself. A sharp little whistle split the steamy air, "Oi, chibi-kun, eyes up front."

Konohamaru's head snapped up, then to the side. Tenten gave Minako a questioning look and she shrugged, leaning in close to the other girl's ear, "His mom's dead and he doesn't have any other female relatives."

Tenten nodded, understanding his shyness now. Nearly all of the children that had clans were used to seeing those of the same and opposite sex naked since most families bathed together. Whatever body shyness remained was wrung out of them in the Academy.

Or, at least, it was nowadays. It was a fairly new practice that had been started in the previous few years because of the influx of girls training to be ninja. The rate was a staggering one kunoichi to every three shinobi. In previous years, woman who wanted to be ninja had been the odd ones out. But it was becoming ever more common by woman who wanted to control their own lives. After all, the life of a kunoichi would seem more attractive to some than being a bartering chip in a political marriage, or the very real risk of being kidnapped or snatched off the street and turned into a slave or whore.

Nonetheless, it was still highly shocking to most of the older shinobi still on duty.

"Now pay attention, because we won't repeat ourselves."

Tenten pointed out the places on her and Minako's bodies that could be used to cause pain and kill, and Minako labeled key points of the female anatomy, explaining important or variable points such as woman having different bust sizes from each other, and even different sized breasts on the same woman. "A girl's usually bigger on the side of her dominant hand, because the muscles behind the breasts are used more."

She pointed out how her hips were wider than Tenten's, but how Tenten's abs were far more developed. The brunette crossed her arms, "Of course, it's possible for a girl to maintain a decent bust size if she eats properly and partakes in certain exercises, and some are just naturally gifted, but by and large, smaller is better for a Kunoichi. I have a fuller range of motion than others, and large breasts have to be bound very carefully so they don't interfere or cause breathing problems."

Konohamaru blinked, "Boobs cause breathing problems?"

Tenten facepalmed while Minako answered, "No, improper _binding_ of the breasts causes breathing problems. Like this." she turned him around and held her arms across his torso, squeezing just tight enough to restrict his breathing.

Tenten leaned down and flicked him on the nose, "See? That's why you have to be careful, even in a transformation."

It was in that position that their bathing room was broken into by a blue-clad Special Jounin: to see two naked woman -neither of which was the Kyuubi Brat- with Konohamaru sandwiched in between them. "Honored Grandson?! Wh-what is going on here?!"

The kunoichi shared a single look before turning back to him and speaking at the same time, "Anatomy lessons."

Ebisu fainted dead away, blood trickling from his nose.

Tenten and Minako shared another look, this one not the least impressed and sighed at in time with each other, "Pervert..."

Minako picked Konohamaru up and set him outside the pool, "You think you got all the relevant stuff?"

Konohamaru nodded and once again his hands fell into the Ram, "Transform!"

Before them stood a girl that could have been their daughter, silky hair a few shades lighter than Tenten's, dark eyes a mix between Tenten's black and Minako's deep blue, a moderate-but-perky bust and slim hips. They both looked 'her' over, poking and prodding here and there, then stood before the transformed boy with smiles, "Good job."

"I'll say, especially for someone so young. Keep this up and you'll be hailed as a prodigy."

Minako raised her arms over her head and stretched, "I think that's good for the day. The steam and heat have helped me get out all my aches, and you've learned what you needed to. Time to head out. Are you staying, Tenten?"

The brunette shook her head and hauled herself out of the water, "Nah, I'm good, I've been in here a while." She sighed, "Besides, Guy-sensei's creed on muscle pain is more of what made them sore in the first place."

They walked back to the washroom together and chatted about 'girl-things' as Minako took it upon herself to help Konohamaru wash his hair like her mother had done for her for so long. He accepted her help with silence and a blush, not looking at her. Tenten giggled about it being cute as she dried off, done the fastest of them. As soon as Tenten left, waving them a fond farewell, Naruto let the transformation fade and then scrubbed down all over again.

She and Konohamaru made their way outside, faces pink from the heat and washing- and for Konohamaru still for a little lingering embarrassment. Naruto breathed in deeply of the comparatively-cooler air. There was nothing quite as refreshing as a soak at the hotsprings.

She turned and walked off, fully expecting Konohamaru to leave now that he'd managed to mooch some Jutsu off of her, but she was surprised when he trailed after her still like a loyal duckling. She checked the position of the sun and shrugged. She still had time before the Academy. She led him to one of her thinking spots, a tall tree that looked out over the river and was high enough to see Hokage Mountain from. Naruto watched Konohamaru struggle to climb the tree she had scaled effortlessly, finally taking pity and hauling him up by his scarf to sit on the branch next to her. She leaned against him, pinning him between her body and the tree trunk so he didn't have an unfortunate fall.

"Konohamaru, why do you want to be Hokage?"

"You heard Ebisu, too, right? My name is Konohamaru, for the village. Everyone knows that, but nobody ever calls me by it. It's always 'Honored Grandson' this and 'Honorable Grandson' that. That's not my name! Ko-no-ha-maru. How do you forget the name of someone named after the place you _live_?" He pointed towards the Monument, "Someday I'm going to be up there, and everyone will know my name!"

Konohamaru startled as she pulled him close to her side, blushing again as she nuzzled the top of his head.

"N-Naruto...?"

Naruto shook her head, chest tight. Konohamaru was just like her, but he didn't even have someone there for him like she had. She pulled back and looked him in the eye, "You can do it." He jerked in her hold, staring at her in wide-eyed surprise. No one had ever told him that before. No one had ever believed him. "I know you'll get there someday, Konohamaru. Work hard, reach high, never give up, and I know you'll make it."

He stared at her blankly for a moment, then his eyes shimmered with tears and he buried his face in her orange jacket, "I will! I'll become Hokage, I swear!"

Naruto held him close as he cried out the strong emotions, smiling, "I believe it."

* * *

Konohamaru walked after her, "Naruto, Boss, what about you? Don't you want to be Hokage, too?"

She smiled back at him, " 'Course. I'm _going_ to be the first female Hokage, believe it! I'll keep the hat warm for you, though, kay?"

He nodded and caught up to her, "Hehe~ Got it! 'sides, it only makes sense for a future Hokage to have an awesome teacher. Like another Hokage."

"There you are!"

They both tensed, Naruto's hand automatically falling to her weapons' pouch before registering it was only Ebisu. She straightened up warily, more than ready to fight or flee if she had to. As it happened, she didn't have to do either, all she had to do was stand there and be shouted at.

"You kidnapped the Honorable Grandson." _Not. You're just upset 'cause you didn't notice him giving you the slip._ "Tarnished his innocence." _We're shinobi, 'innocence' is a liability..._ "And left him with strange females on top of it all!" _Because you aren't strange at all..._

Naruto's battle instincts kicked in and she jumped back, surprised when a kunai thunked into the fence between her and Ebisu- closer to the Jounin than her. That wasn't just any kunai, it was _her_ kunai, the one she'd lent to Konohamaru during Substitution training. They both turned to look at the little boy.

He pointed to Ebisu, "Don't you say all that stuff about Naruto! She's been helping me be a better ninja than you ever have! She explained things to me, and I'm going to work hard and be Hokage without taking any 'short cuts' like a damn fool!"

"Honorable Grandson! Language!"

"My name isn't Honorable Grandson! It's Konohamaru! I'll show you!" His hands made the Ram Seal, "Transform!"

In a poof of smoke, a significantly more buxom brunette than she had witnessed earlier stood there shrouded in wisps of smoke in a seductive pose. Ebisu's jaw dropped before he fell back into his second cold faint of the day. Naruto nudged him with her foot but got nothing more than a twitch.

She looked back to Konohamaru who released the Jutsu and flashed a victory sign before bouncing to her side, "I did it, Neechan! I did it!"

 _Well, he certainly deserves points for observation and pinpointing enemy weaknesses..._ She smiled and laid her hand on his head. "You sure did, Kono-kun." She blinked down at the helmet between her hand and his hair. Naruto was struck by inspiration like a lightning bolt and her Hitai-ate felt heavy on her head. She knelt down in front of Konohamaru so they were the same height, "Konohamaru, I'm proud of you for trying so hard, and sticking up for others. That's never a wrong thing to do. And I have a present for all your hard work."

His eyes lit up, "Really?"

She nodded and reached into her pocket, pulling out her goggles, "These are very special to me. I've had them for years, worn them until just last night, when I got my headband. I think you could put them to better use than I can anymore, though."

Konohamaru tugged off his helmet, brunet strands going everywhere in protest. Naruto subdued her snicker to a twitching smile as she settled the goggles on his head to help corral the mess. He reached up and touched them carefully, reverently, then threw himself forward and hugged her, "Thank you, Naruto-Neechan."

She hugged him back, throat tight. Always before, Naruto had been the youngest, the baby, the little sister. To have someone else look up to her, it was a better feeling than even when Iruka-sensei told her she'd graduated. "No problem, Kono-kun." She pulled back and grinned at him, "See that you live up to them, got it, Otouto?"

Konohamaru matched her grin and stuck out his thumb, "Believe it!"

Naruto noticed the sun and jerked in place, "Kuso! I have to go! Work hard and never give up, Konohamaru!" She waved at him and took off in a dead run, the small boy waving after her as she disappeared in a blur.

The grin on her face just wouldn't fade as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and Naruto felt like she was glowing. She'd found something so much better than some dumb memory wall. Her greatest achievements wouldn't be marked by artifacts on a wall, but by the changes in the people around her. Her first true step forward wasn't marked by the Hitai-ate on her head, but by the mark Konohamaru's respect and admiration left on her heart.

xxx

 **This is NOT fanservace. Everything -and I do mean EVERYTHING- I'm writing here has a very specific purpose going forward. This showcased a certain way of training that couldn't be slipped in otherwise, as well as again deviating from canon because this Naruto doesn't think the same as canon-Naru did. This is also setting up the tie-in of a couple added SM characters because why not?**

XXX


	5. Sasuke and Sakura, Freinds and Foes!

**I consider this one the funniest chapter in the fic, so please enjoy~!**

* * *

Ino and Sakura burst through the classroom door together in perfect unison, then bent over, panting for breath. "Looks like I win again, Sakura."

"You're dreaming, I had to look back to see you. My toe was _at least_ a tenth of an inch ahead."

They exchanged rivalry-glares that charged the air between them with the scent of ozone, then abruptly turned away and called out to their neutral-party judge at the exact same time, "Naruto! Who-"

She tilted her head, "Well, Sakura-chan's toe _was_ farther ahead... But Ino-nee's hair fringe was the first thing through the door. So, I think this one's a tie." Both girls stopped and blinked, surprised that Naruto was there _to_ settle the dispute. The golden-blonde beamed at their flabbergasted expressions and waved, "Hey, miss m- aah!"

She went down with an undignified squeak as both of the other preteen girls threw themselves at her in a tackle-hug, again speaking in tandem, "Naruto~!"

Ino held down her left shoulder, rubbing cheeks with her, "You made it~!"

Sakura had her arms wrapped around the both of them, "But how...?"

Naruto managed to unwedge one arm from the other girls and wave it in the air, fingers folding into the general distress signal for requesting back-up due to dangerous assailants. Her head was at just the right angle to see Sasuke smirk at her and sign back 'unable to comply', _the bastard_ , while Shikamaru seemed to be _staunchly_ focusing somewhere just to the left of the tussle, and Kiba grinned before going solemn-faced and making the salute for 'shinobi fallen in battle'- Akamaru throwing in a mournful howl for dramatic affect.

Naruto scowled at them all. Her friends _sucked_.

With a vicious smirk and surge of chakra, Naruto Substituted herself. The stoic Uchiha let out a very undignified squawk as he found himself under a dogpile of girls- which Naruto threw herself upon just to annoy him further. She smirked down at his struggling form as he tried to wriggle free, "You know, half the girls in this classroom would kill to be here and see you like this."

Sakura and Ino, however, were not among them, with a sigh, both girls stood up at the same time- dragging Naruto with them as she clung to their shoulders. Something about Sasuke's charms just faded when you got to see him sleeping with his mouth wide open for years.

Sasuke got up with closed eyes, brushed himself off, and sat at the closest empty desk. Naruto twitched when he didn't speak or look at them.

Naruto had just about had it with Sasuke's emotional constipation. They'd been friends since they were freaking _seven years old_. And she got that the Itachi-thing had gotten to him, really she did. If she'd woken up one day from a sleep-over and heard that her family had been killed while she'd been sleeping soundly, she'd have been a wreck, too. But the way he wishy-washed back and forth from the best friend she knew and the emotionless shell he showed the world was really beginning to piss her off.

He still came to their goddamned Study Nights -okay, mostly because he probably got tired of her physically dragging him all the way from his place to theirs- and he still participated even if he was more withdrawn and prone to getting lost in thought. But this 'I am the last Uchiha and must show nothing' phase he was going through about had her tearing her hair out. The moment they were out in public together, it was like Naruto -all their friends, actually- didn't exist to Sasuke's eyes.

Infuriated didn't even scratch the surface. And Naruto had _had_ it. In a flash, she was on the desk-table in front of Sasuke, _staring_ at him, daring him to ignore her presence. His eyes bored into the small space of desk that she wasn't blocking. Naruto leaned even closer, invading his space like she knew he hated, sending charged 'look at me-look at me-look at me' vibes.

If the bead of sweat on the side of his face was any indication, she was getting to him. Naruto didn't know what happened: one moment she was staring Sasuke to death, the next she felt something shove her from behind and she crashed forward off the desk and into Sasuke's lap as they -and their _lips_ \- collided.

Someone behind her said something about being sorry for bumping into her but it was lost in the _HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK!_ blaring through her mind. She tore herself away, ignoring the wails of Sasuke fangirls in the background, as Sasuke turned his head and _spit_ , like she'd given him fucking _cooties_ or something.

Naruto gave him her best supremely unimpressed look and turned to where Kiba was just pulling himself together from howling in laughter, "Someone spot me a kunai, these lips have to go, they're tainted. Tongue, too, probably. Can the medi-nins regrow tongues? I wonder what it'll be like being mute the rest of my life. I'm good enough at ESSL, I can probably learn the everyday signs without too much trouble. But what will the world do without my voice?"

"If only we could find out!" Kiba wailed dramatically.

Sasuke's cheeks steadily grew redder and Naruto beamed at Kiba, sticking out her tongue before sitting down, content her message had been received.

The soon-to-be war was aborted when Iruka-sensei entered, "Alright now, everyone calm down."

Naruto sat next to Sasuke, to the continuing horror of his hoards of fangirls, and listened to their teacher- for all of four seconds. She'd been up late doing ninja-things, only gotten about an hour's worth of sleep, and then been up again and playing the part of sensei herself. In her opinion, she'd earned another nap. She pillowed her head on her crossed arms and was out like a light.

Sasuke flicked her awake what had to be less than ten minutes later, just as Iruka began assigning teams. She opened stormy orbs to glare at him, fingers flicking through Konoha Shinobi Sign Language. _'What the hell, Sasuke?'_

 _'I'm sorry.'_

Naruto blinked, disbelieving her own eyes. _'What was that? I think my eyes malfunctioned.'_

 _'To be expected from the Idiot Genius of Konoha.'_

Her eyes narrowed. ' _What was that, asshat?'_

 _'Poor Naruto, are your eyes still not working?'_

She pushed up and they both leaned in closer, glaring, "Say that again."

He smirked at her, "Sure your ears are working well enough?"

"Bastard!"

"Naruto Yamanaka."

She flinched and looked at Iruka-sensei, waiting for the scolding for interrupting something so important. Blue eyes blinked as no scolding was immediately forthcoming.

"Sakura Haruno."

Another blink, then the circuits connected in her mind and she realized she'd just been placed on a team with one of her best friends- who just so happened to be sitting on her other side. She and Sakura both turned to each other and high-fived, "Yeah!"

"And Sasuke Uchiha. You guys are Team Seven."

Ino's voice sounded from the back, realizing she'd be with neither her sister nor best friend, at the same moment Naruto realized she _would_ be stuck on a team with hers, "I'm doomed!"

Sasuke smirked at her and Iruka-sensei, beyond used to all of them, just smiled at their outbursts.

"Team Eight is Hinata Hyuuga,"

Naruto looked back at the shy girl and grinned at her as she nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Kiba Inuzuka."

Kiba copied Naruto's thumbs-up.

"And Shino Aburame."

Knowing her friend wasn't one for dramatics, Naruto settled for a simple nod that Shino returned.

Sakura and Ino were too busy making sad eyes at each other to notice the other squads happening around them. They'd always been together, since the day Naruto hadn't let them break their friendship, and even though Sakura was happy to be with one of her friends, Ino was her _best friend_. A lightbulb flashed above Naruto's head and she narrowed her eyes, Sasuke leaning away from her humongous foxy grin. With practiced ease, Naruto Substituted with Shikamaru who happened to be sitting next to Ino, and gave her sister a rather forceful shove.

There were twin squawks before the entire room went quiet. Then some of the boys -Kiba included- began wolf-whistling, very much enjoying the show of the class' two top kunoichi sharing a kiss. Ino pulled away like she'd been burned, her and Sakura's faces both a brighter hue than the pinkette's hair, "Wh-wh-wha...?"

Ino turned on her sister and launched at her. Naruto, fully expecting the attack, just Substituted again and quickly ducked back into her seat, Sakura still comatose beside her, "Iruka-sensei, my sister is trying to kill me!"

"Naruto...!"

"Everyone, settle down!"

Ino visibly fought for control of herself before sitting down in her seat abruptly, arms crossed and shaking in anger. Naruto poked Sakura in the shoulder, "Eh? Sakura-chan, you okay?" ... _I think I broke her..._

Green eyes blinked owlishly before looking back at her, "H-huh? Oh, yeah... I'm fine."

"Now Squad Ten." All of them blinked and looked at each other. Not a single one of them had heard a single thing about Team Nine. "Ino Yamanaka. Shikamaru Nara."

Ino dropped her head in her hands, "Nooo, why couldn't you have been on Naruto's squad?"

Shikamaru's head dropped to his desk, "Nooo, why did I have to be on a Yamanaka's squad at all?" Now, with Naruto no doubt spending time with her sister, he'd never get away from her!

"And Chouji Akimichi."

The brunette looked up from his seat several rows down and on the other side of the class, "Bring some bentos from your Kaachan, yeah, Ino?"

Ino laid her head on the desk and gave out 'despair-despair-despair' vibes, one hand raised in a thumbs-up, "Uh-huh..."

"After lunch, you'll all meet your new Jounin teachers. Until then, class dismissed."

As if they were magic words unleashing the titans, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke's desk was suddenly surrounded by girls, "Sasuke-kun, would you like to join me for lunch?"

"No, join me!"

The swarm pressed in around them all and Naruto wound up back-to-back with Sasuke as they became surrounded on all sides. Her voice was low enough to only be heard be her new team mate as the buzz of offers grew, "Non-lethal force?"

Sasuke's own voice was just as quiet and completely serious when he replied, "Debatable."

They both tensed as the group attacked, burying them under a mountain of bodies.

Sakura, having slipped away before her team had gotten penned in, made an exaggerated gasp by the doorway, "There he is! He's heading for the veranda!"

The group of fangirls looked at their dogpile in confusion, pulling away to see a squashed Naruto at the bottom of the pile. As one, they ran to the entryway just in time to see Sasuke's form turn the corner. They were off like a pack of hounds.

Sakura slammed the door shut and pressed her ear against it. After a full minute of nothing, she pulled away with a relieved sigh, "Those idiots, the Academy doesn't even _have_ a veranda..."

Naruto sat up from her 'squished' position with a laugh, jumping to her feet and inching over to a seemingly empty portion of the classroom, "Let's see what's behind curtain number one~!" She pulled away the Camouflage Cloak she'd leant him to show a ruffled and disgruntled Sasuke. She crossed her arms smugly, "Still feel like you don't need anyone's help?"

The Uchiha glared at her and fixed his wardrobe, his shirt having been pulled down enough to expose one pale shoulder, "Not a word."

"Too late." Naruto poked his bare shoulder just before he jerked his top back up, "Man, Sasuke, you need a tan. Work in the sun, start a-"

"If you say 'garden', I'm retracting my promise to fund the next after-Battle round of food."

Her mouth snapped shut. Sakura sighed at them both, "Come on, let's share lunch together and try to figure out who our new Sensei will be. And Naruto, you still have to tell us how you graduated."

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, can't. I need to talk to Shika. I'll share everything later. Study Night?"

The pinkette's cheeks puffed out before deflating, "Yeah, okay. Sasuke?"

He nodded and the two of them watched as Naruto gave them a wave before jumping out the window in true Naruto style.

* * *

"The only way this is going to work is if _I'm_ the team leader."

In another life, Shikamaru probably would have been far less generous of the bossy blonde, but after years of exposure to Ino, Naruto, and Makoto-sama, he was well-used to the inherently demanding nature of Yamanaka women, "Gee, you mean like every other team situation we've been in -ever- since our parents first threw us together at age three? Pardon me while I swoon from the shock." ...And maybe he'd picked something up in all the years of interaction with the others, too.

Ino gave him a glare before doing that Smirk of Doom thing she and her sister perfected, "Okay then, Shikamaru. _You_ be the team leader. You get to make up the plans, take first guard duties, check all the equipment, and make the lion's share of our mission reports."

Shikamaru raised his hand- and let it fall, "Lead the way, O Captain Mine."

"Yeah, I thought so."

They were interrupted by a streak of orange\yellow- a streak that tackled a certain lazy Genin to the ground, "SHIKAMARU!"

"GAH?!"

Chouji snickered at his team mate under Naruto as she pinned him to the ground, looking at her sister desperately, "Neechan! I need to borrow Shika for a bit!"

Ino waved her off, "Yeah, sure thing, Naru..."

Naruto grinned in thanks and grabbed the boy in question by his shirt-collar, "...Don't I get a say in this?"

A perfectly synchronized trio of: "No." came from the other teens.

Shikamaru sighed before letting himself be dragged away, "Troublesome..."

Naruto turned to him as soon as they touched down on an inconspicuous roof, leaning in uncomfortably close in that Naruto way that said 'personal boundaries; what are those?'. "Help me make a new Jutsu."

Shikamaru flopped his head in his hand. Well, there went his hopes for getting back to lunch anytime soon. It wasn't like it would be the first time the Study Night Nine had helped each other out like this. "What do you want this new Jutsu to do?"

"I want it to act like the Shadow Clone Jutsu but without the dispelling after one hit thing."

"... _Why_ do you want a Jutsu like this? And where in the world did you learn about Shadow Clones?"

"Details. So, how do I do it?"

He sighed again, "You know the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

"'Course." She answered, like it wasn't a B-Class Forbidden Jutsu.

Shikamaru felt a headache coming on and rubbed at his forehead, "Well, for starters, we need to define the exact characteristics of the Shadow Clone versus a regular Clone versus what you want in your new Custom Clone. To start with, a simple Clone technique is a Genjutsu: it's an illusion, not a physical copy, merely the image of the thing it's a clone of."

"Yeah-yeah-yeah."

"A Shadow Clone is an exact _physical_ copy of its user, right down to the chakra network. Shadow Clones each get an exactly equal portion of the user's total chakra."

"I _know_ all that, Shika. Get to the good parts!"

He reached out and flicked her nose, "Don't rush me. You're the one that came to me for help, don't tell me how to give it. Now, you're wrong about one thing: Shadow Clones _don't_ disperse at the first hit." he held up a hand to forestall her arguments -because with Naruto there were _always_ arguments- "Unless you made them in such a way that they didn't have the chakra stability to sustain themselves after a single hit." as soon as her face darkened, he knew he'd hit upon something, "They'd be essentially useless if that were really so, because they'd disperse at the first hit _they_ gave, too: a hit's a hit, regardless of who's _getting_ hit. Normally it takes a substantial hit to disperse a Shadow Clone."

"Okay, well, say I regularly run into people who hit substantially."

"Yeah, I get you; such as most shinobi. Now this is something you wouldn't notice in those situations: but a Shadow Clone is a _perfect_ copy of the user right up until they actually get hit hard enough to disperse. This means that, as well as having the same chakra network, they also _bleed_. When Shadow Clones run out of chakra, they'll also disperse. Standard Clones have none of these attributes because as images alone, they can't interact with anything."

Naruto had her head perched in her hand, elbow resting on her knee as she sat cross-legged, making idle shapes on the roof with a finger, obviously bored. "Uh-huh."

Shikamaru felt his eyebrow twitch and reached into one of his pouches, pulling out a paper fan and smacking Naruto on the head with it. "Pay attention!"

"Ow!" She held both hands over her 'injury' and glared at him, "What the hell, Shika?!"

"Repeat what I just told you."

"Shadow Clones, perfect copies, exact chakra, blood; yada-yada. Go poof when hit hard or run out of energy."

He huffed and glared at her. He hated doing this with Naruto. She always wanted to rush ahead to the next part without getting everything down leading up to it. Admittedly, it was that same lack of attention that led her to make grand -nearly impossible- leaps in logic to get to stunning conclusions, but it was a supreme pain in planning anything with her.

"What you want in your new Custom Clones is... what, _exactly_?"

Naruto tilted her head, "Well... I guess I want them to be just like me. Shadow Clones are a little like puppets, or non-nin-dogs. They can be given basic instructions and follow them out, but nothing that requires fine control or intuitive thinking. I want them to be sturdy and not disperse for a while- possibly even for some time _after_ a 'fatal' hit. If we could make _bodies_ , it would be an even better distraction. And, now that I think about it, maybe a way to recover chakra on their own so they don't disperse at an inconvenient moment? Oh, and I noticed that my clones seem to feel what I do to an extent, if there's a way to make us more... separate? I'd like that."

Shikamaru crossed his arms and nodded, resting his chin against his chest, unable to think of anything else at the moment that would be vital enough to suggest adding beyond what they already had. "Okay, so now we have an exact list of our needs and our bases. Next step: Theories and queries. What happens when you put more chakra into the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

"More chakra, more clones."

"Hmm, so we can't just create a sturdier clone by increasing the chakra it has to work with. Do you realize what you're actually suggesting here? The Shadow Clones feel what you do to the extent they do because they share your chakra, which is still yours even when it's in them. This is what gives the user control of the Clones. What you're suggesting is to some way plant part of your mind -or at least basic personality- into the clones so they have a higher cognitive function without your input. This is beyond A-Rank stuff. I mean, it might be possible, if you somehow split your mind with Yamanaka Clan techniques so part of your consciousness was in the Clones... But you don't have the control, and Ino doesn't have the chakra."

"So you're saying the problem is that part of me needs to be in the clones."

"Essentially. It's the first of many hurdles, at the least."

"So... can't I just bleed? That's how shinobi perform Summoning Jutsu, right? Because blood is the connection between the Form and the Self." Shikamaru opened his eyes, blinked, and just _stared_ at her. Naruto puffed out her cheeks and looked away, "Hey, just because I can't _do_ the Clan Jutsu doesn't mean I don't listen to the explanations!"

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his neck, "Yeah, that'd probably work. As long as the Clones had some of your genetic material, they'd be able to regain chakra over time just like you would. But you realize that by doing this, you're basically permanently cutting your chakra reserves by however many clones you make, right?"

"That's... kind of the point."

"Hmm?"

"Here in Konoha, I up my chakra control by sinking all my excess chakra into the Leylines, so I have a stable, usable amount. But there _are_ no Leylines outside of Konoha. Hell, even _with_ all the Sinking I did, I still couldn't manage to get down to a workable level of chakra to manage the basic Clone Jutsu. I _need less_ chakra."

"I can see your reasoning, but I think there's something you're overlooking here."

"What?"

"How do you think the village is going to react to there suddenly being an influx of Narutos around?"

She winced, "I... didn't think about that." She stared at her crossed legs, frowning for several minutes, then perked up and looked up at him, "What if I just had the Clones use Transformation Jutsu?"

"As outstanding as your Transformation is, Naruto, it still can't hold up to a hit any more than a Shadow Clone would, and it takes constant concentration."

"Can't we make that permanent, too?"

Shikamaru fell backwards with a groan, "You're just _adding_ to all our work!"

"Well, would the same thing work for both Jutsu? Blood being the keystone, I mean."

He sat up with a huff, "Maybe. Give me a minute." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Impatient as Naruto ever was, she still sat there quietly and let the genius go through all the calculations. Shikamaru tilted his head back and forth, frowned, muttered, then quieted for a bit before repeating the process. After several long minutes, he finally opened his eyes, "I suppose it's feasible. The only way to be certain is going to be to test it."

"Great! What Seals should I use?"

"What Seals do you use for the Shadow Clone?"

"It has its own Seal, this-" she formed her fingers into the ever more familiar cross seal, "-or the Tiger Seal."

"The Clone Jutsu can be done with Ram, Snake, Tiger; _or_ , Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog. The Summoning Jutsu, or the _basic_ Summoning Jutsu, uses Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. So... Boar and Dog seem like a must. Tiger seems just as vital, but..." he trailed off into more muttering. "Ram, Tiger, Boar, Dog? No, the backlash of secondary chakras would be too unstable..." After several more combinations, Shikamaru finally snapped his fingers and looked up, "Okay, try this: Boar, Ram, Dog, and the special Cross Seal you showed me. You'll need a blood offering for it to work in the first place, of course."

"So what am I going to call this Jutsu?"

"Well, it's not exactly a clone, since it's essentially going to _be_ you. Just... a slightly different you. What you're doing is basically replicating yourself."

She nodded, "Got it~!" Without a second to spare or argue over molding practices, Naruto bit her thumb and flashed through the four-seal technique and shouted out its new name, "Replication Jutsu!"

There was an enormous _POOF_ of smoke that enveloped the whole area and Shikamaru mentally cursed. _Dammit! How am I going to explain_ _ **this**_ _one? 'Sorry, Ino, I accidentally blew up your sister in an experimental freak Jutsu disaster'?_

Then the smoke cleared away and Shikamaru was left staring- at three perfectly identical Narutos. They looked at each other before turning to him with triple the usual foxy grin and gave him matching thumbs-ups, " _Alright~! Now on to the next part!_ "

Shikamaru sighed and dropped his head, having forgotten for a moment there that they still needed to work out the new Transformation Jutsu, too...

xxx

 **And finally the chance to comprehensively answer HjLostDreams' question on Naruto's chakra control. See, this Naruto was raised by a clan: she's had training (remember Mako's comment about teaching her more Taijutsu?) and she's been forced to study at least more than the canon-Naru ever was. As a result, this Naruto has even MORE chakra than canon-Naruto does. So, even though she HAS received training for it (recall her reaction to Konohamaru's mentioning the Leaf Exercise), she's also now got even more chakra to try and control. Makoto has tried to address this the only way she personally knows how: by teaching Naruto to funnel all that excess chakra into the Leylines, and even with all that, Naruto still has too much to control for a standard Clone Jutsu. Take note of this, it'll be important later.**

XXX


	6. Enter Sensei! Kakashi or Crazy?

Naruto scowled at the blackboard that had been the bane of her existence for the last six years of her life, "Never," she started, "in my wildest nightmares," she continued, "did I ever imagine we'd land the only Jounin-sensei in the world lazier than _Shikamaru_."

Sakura sat perched just to her right, tossing kunai up into the air and then catching them again, "It's already been a half-hour..."

Naru sat up and pulled out one of her scrolls, "I'm not going to just sit around here doing nothing."

The pinkette caught the kunai by the loop three inches from it piercing her thigh, "What's that?"

She spread the scroll across the table proudly, " _This_ is a plan of attack for our next game of Tag."

Sakura's face lit up and she put the blade away, leaning over eagerly, "I'd completely forgot! Naru, this is amazing! Now that we know everyone's teams, we need to come up with a good strategy to counter them all."

She grinned and nodded, turning to the only boy in the room, "Come on, Sasuke! This is our chance to get ahead!"

He looked their way and then went back to his silent brooding. She felt her eyebrow twitch and her earlier annoyance returned threefold.

Naruto had _had_ it! She turned in her seat and tossed her pen at Sasuke's big, fat head with enough force and skill that it flew through the air like a senbon. He dodged it, of course -he wasn't the rookie of the year for nothing- but it got the desired result: his attention actually focused on her.

"That does it!" Naruto wasn't afraid to get in his face now that they were pretty much alone, finger less than an inch from his nose, "You have exceeded your emo-limit for the day. Either promptly return my best friend, or I swear you're going to wake up tomorrow looking like Sakura's twin sister."

Ebony eyes widened and stared at her, but Sasuke hadn't been (at times -most times- reluctant) best friends with her since they were children without learning to tell when Naruto was being serious. And she was most definitely serious about dyeing his hair in his sleep. And with Naruto being the queen prankster of the entire village, able to dodge even the shinobi that chased after her paired with Sasuke's own mental conditioning where she didn't register as a threat to his sleeping mind, she'd be able to pull it off.

Sasuke sighed, expression pinched, before he finally nodded and stood up, "You're so annoying."

Naruto grinned, fully content in her victory, and shrugged, "I've been called worse. Not like you're a ball of cheer yourself."

"Whatever." He sat down at the desk in Naruto's vacant spot, twitching when the blonde draped herself over his shoulders to point at the scroll.

"Now, we'll have to come up with a way to avoid Hinata, Kiba, and Shino's team. Between Hinata's eyes, Kiba's nose, and Shino's bugs, it'll be all but impossible to hide."

As she spoke, Sasuke's shoulders slowly untensed and he actually turned his attention to the paper spread out before them, examining it carefully. "Do you have any plants that can affect dog-boy's nose and Shino's bugs at the same time?"

"Hmm... Not sure. I'll have to ask Kaachan about the lethality of certain chakra-sapping plants. I know of a really smelly flytrap, but they'd invariably be fatal to the Kikaichu, and that's a foul."

Sakura leaned over them both and pointed to Hinata's name, "The issue here is Hinata's ability to see chakra-systems. So we need either a way to disable that ability, or to confuse it. Smoke bombs are useless, she can see right through them."

Sasuke 'hmm'ed, "What about chakra-enhanced smoke?"

Sakura bit her lip and frowned down at the scroll, then her emerald eyes lit up, "Sasuke, that's _perfect_! I know just the Jutsu to use!"

Naruto leaned over to plant both hands on the table and look at the scroll, her upper torso pressing Sasuke forward, his slowly reddening face sliding below her notice, "The Shadow Clone Jutsu has the exact same chakra as the person using it. I could probably trick Hinata-chan with it."

"Yeah, but _we_ couldn't. Naruto, neither Sasuke or I have the chakra it would take to make even a single one."

"Yeah, I know. I wonder if the new Transformation Jutsu Shika helped me make will work for that..."

"New Jutsu?"

She smiled over at the other girl, "Yep! The Academy Transformation is the Henge, my new one is the Henshin! It's more sturdy and doesn't take constant concentration." _Huh, I wonder what my Replications are doing right now...?_ She shrugged and went about showing the Henshin to her team.

* * *

The blonde threaded her fingers together behind her head and let out a loud sigh, "What are we supposed to do _now_?"

Her sister next to her was the more serious one, head bowed and holding her chin in thought, "We'll need a place to live, we'll need to eat." she sighed and crossed her arms, "What we need," she concluded, "are jobs."

"...And how would we go about getting them? We can't take missions since we aren't registered, and I don't know about you, but I have no idea how civilians get work."

"We can cook, we're strong; we can do manual labor." sharp blue eyes looked between them, "We're pretty, we could-"

" _No_." Paler blue eyes snapped open, her hands falling from behind her as she stared at her sister, "I don't want to be haunted by memories like those."

She let out a relieved sigh, "I agree. So it's decided, then? We'll split up and look for work."

"Sounds good, and it's not like it'll be the worst thing ever if we don't find anything. We can camp out indefinitely without any fear of starving. So we'll meet up back here later tonight?"

The long, burnished golden hair swayed with a determined nod, "Right."

They shared a final look and parted ways.

* * *

"Look, it's the Snake Witch..."

"I heard she drinks blood!"

"I heard she spreads her legs for anyone who can beat her."

" _I_ heard she eats young gossips who are better off in school instead of slacking off."

The trio of boys spun in place and cowered back in instant reaction. A brave -or stupid- brunette with a hat stepped forward, "Oh yeah? And who are you?"

"Why you little...!" She was a _Kunoichi_ with years of training under her belt and who knew sixteen different ways to kill a person off the top of her head. She might have been a little short, but in this form she had several years on the little snots in front of her and she would be shown respect!

The Odango-haired blonde cracked her knuckles with a toothy smile that sent shivers down all three boys' spines. The pale-haired one in the back made a break for it, but she lashed out with a swift kick to the back of his legs, sending him sprawling. The other two tried to take off but she grabbed one by the back of his shirt and the other around the neck with her arm. In the total space of six seconds she had two of them in twin head-locks and the other squirming on the ground under her foot.

" _Now_ ," she smiled down at them, "I think you owe that lady an apology for your atrocious social skills and non-existent manners."

The dark-haired one caught by her right arm pushed futilely at the hold she had on him, "Why should we?"

With blinding speed, she reversed her hold on him, then with muscles honed from years of training, heaved him over her shoulder to the ground where he landed with a huff, her hand mashing his face into the dirt, "Because if I can do all this, just imagine what a trained Kunoichi with years of experience could do to you. She helps defend your ungrateful lives, you brat, you owe her your respect."

The pale haired one under her foot was nearly in tears, "I'm sorry! Please forgive me, Kunoichi-san!"

The brunet still in the head-lock of her left arm went limp, "Sorry..."

Her fingers dug into Mr. Attitude's hair and pulled his head up, "And you? What do you say to the kind woman that didn't kill you for insulting her?"

He winced in pain, "P-please forgive me, Kunoichi-san."

Her grip tightened, "And?"

"And th-thank you... for defendin' our ungrateful lives."

The purple-haired woman stared at the whole spectacle in silence before turning away with a wave, "Whatever. It's not like I do it for you, anyway."

The blonde woman nodded, wrapping her hand tightly around his arm and hauling him back up, she shoved him forward and tossed his brunet friend next to him, their blonde comrade scrambling up after them the moment she lifted her foot from his back. She gave them a piercing crystal-blue glare, "Go back to your mothers until you learn some proper respect for women!" They left with more haste than grace and she crossed her arms with a satisfied nod. "Ooooh! Disrespectful brats!"

She froze in place as a pair of arms wound around her torso, one creeping across her stomach and the other over her clavicle as warm breath blew against her ear, "Oh, my hero, how ever shall I repay you~?"

She swallowed audibly, "E-eh?! I-it's nothing!"

"Oh, no, I insist."

"I'm f-fine."

The arms finally retreated and she stepped away as quick as she could, turning to look at the previously-mentioned Snake Witch herself, eyes wide. The purple-haired woman threw back her head with a laugh that put her on the defensive. Burnt-amber eyes looked at her, gleaming with amusement, "So, may I know the name of my savior?"

"N-name?"

"You know, that thing people call you by, generally given by parents."

 _Name_?! She didn't _have_ a name! Frantic to answer before she raised the Kunoichi's ire, she said the very first thing that came to mind, "Usagi."

Again she was laughed at, "Oh, that's rich! Your parents named you 'Rabbit'?!"

It was another knee-jerk reaction as she stomped her foot, offended, "No! I don't have parents, I named myself. And what's wrong with 'Usagi'?!"

The laughter cut off abruptly and she quailed under the suddenly sharp gaze before it looked away, "Ah, shit. Hey, I'm sorry for bringing it up, okay? Really, and there's nothing wrong with it. I was just... being a bitch."

Usagi sighed, "It's... fine."

"Hey, want to get some lunch?"

She shook her head and opened her mouth to decline when her stomach took it upon itself to answer with a loud growl that left her blushing hotly. She glanced away at the knowing smirk aimed at her, "I can't. I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it. My treat. Least I can do for the woman who so kindly stepped up to defend my honor, right?"

Usagi blushed hotter, sneaking furtive glances at the smile that was both friendly and slightly mocking, "I... I suppose."

She was waved forward and fell into step with her companion, "I'm Anko Mitarashi in case you weren't aware exactly who it was you were defending. You know you didn't have to do that, right? Shits will be shits, and it's not like I haven't been called worse."

Usagi folded her arms, fingers digging into the pale pink of her jacket as she watched the street, "It doesn't matter if others do it, it doesn't make it _right_. They had no right to say those things. Words are weapons as sharp as any made of steel, and people fling around far too freely things that can cut so deeply."

Anko gave her a sharp look as she hugged herself, "That's human nature."

She stubbornly shook her head and looked up, deep blue eyes burning with an inner fire, "I don't believe that. I believe the truest nature of us all invites us to be kind."

Anko shook her head in turn, but her smile was much kinder as she threw an arm around Usagi's shoulders, "You, my friend, are a dreamer. The world needs more of you."

* * *

Minako sighed as she wandered the streets. She'd been to any number of shops and stores and none of them had been willing to hire her. It was becoming more and more despairing, and more than one shopkeeper, seeing her forlorn expression, had pointed her to the House of Internal Healing down the street.

 _Does no one think I'm suited for anything besides whoring myself out?_ Not that she didn't make the ideal target for the profession: she was young, foreign, pretty, and apparently desperate for cash. She sighed as she passed the House, stopping before it and glancing in through the window. She shook her head and turned away, determined not to sink to that. She and her sister could live out in the forests if they had to.

"Hello, there. Is there anything I can help you with?"

She startled and turned back to see a woman with very long, dark green hair, "Oh, no. I was just... passing by."

"Would you like to come in for a bit?"

Her expression tightened, the words escaping her lips before she could stop them, "I have no desire to become a whore!"

The strange woman looked at her with wide wine-colored eyes, then threw her head back and laughed. Minako's face heated as she glanced around and saw several people stop in the middle of the street to look at her. She hadn't meant to be so loud, but it had been one too many suggestions today and she hadn't been able to silence herself. The woman smiled at her when her deep laughter trailed off, "Oh, no, I'm afraid you misunderstand. This isn't a brothel, it's a place of healing."

Mina gave her a skeptical look and glanced up at the highlighted 'internal' part of the establishment's name.

The woman stepped back and to the side, "Please, come in and talk to me for a little while."

She hesitated, but she had nothing to lose except time. Haltingly, she nodded and stepped inside, if only to get out of the stares of the villagers on the street after her outburst. It was darker within, the floors all darkwood, with low tables surrounded by cushions. As soon as the door closed all sound from outside cut off, like stepping into another world. The large open window kept the room from feeling too small, with red velvet curtains that could easily be drawn for privacy.

The woman led her to a table in a back corner and gracefully sat down on a puffy cushion. Minako hesitated before kneeling on one on the opposite side, glancing around uneasily.

A soft, husky laugh drew her attention back to her host, "You look exactly like any one of our new clients the first time they come here."

Her cheeks puffed out in agitation even as she felt them color, "Well forgive me if I don't frequent-"

"I reiterate my claim from before. This is no brothel."

Minako paused, unwilling to argue and offend the woman by insisting. The wind went out of her sails, "Then what is it...?"

"Setsuna. My name is Setsuna Meiou."

"I'm Minako."

Minako focused her eyes on the table instead of Setsuna's smile, on the tea that another... 'server' set before them, "Minako. This is not a house of ill-repute, it's a place of healing. Mind healing."

"Mind...?"

She nodded, "Shinobi have hard lives, beyond that which can be healed by a quick visit to the Honorable Yamanaka Clan, they require a longer, gentler healing. And, yes, on some very rare occasions, sometimes a healing of a sexual nature- that is especially true for some Kunoichi who undertake certain kinds of missions."

Minako shivered, knowing exactly the kind of 'missions' those were. "So... what happens here, then? Nearly everyone I've talked to today has suggested this place to me when I've asked for somewhere to work."

Setsuna looked up at her, eyes narrowing, "Is that so? Hmm. Well, most often, our work takes place right here on the main floor. This is a place of comfort, meant to relax our clients as much as possible. And it's here that we talk, where we relieve them of the burdens on their hearts. They come here for comfort, for someone to talk to who won't flinch away from the facts of being a Shinobi. Somewhere where they can be safe."

Mina raised her eyes, "You heal their souls with love..."

The dark-haired woman smiled at her, "That's it exactly." Setsuna raised took a sip of her tea and hid her mouth behind her cup, "I can see why it was you were suggested this place. You have a kind heart, don't you, Minako-chan?"

"I..."

"Would you like to work here?"

She shook her head, "I couldn't do that! What if... what if I'm bad at it? I could really hurt someone. Or what if it didn't work out? What would happen to the people who came in to speak to me? How could I possibly ever be there anytime I'm needed? How would I know? How- I couldn't!"

Setsuna giggled at her and she felt even more ridiculous, "Calm, Minako-chan. I would not be putting you with the most desperate cases in your first week, if that's what you're afraid of. We'd start you off gently and slowly teach you all that you'd need to know to help calm and treat even the most damaged cases. If that's what you want. Give it a try. You never know, this might be your calling."

Minako played with her cup, turning it obsessively, and drained it nervously as she thought. It wasn't like she had anything to lose, right? It wasn't a brothel, it was helping people. "And I... I wouldn't have to handle the... the _sexual_ cases, would I?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable. This is a place of healing, always. It would hardly do to heal our clients at the cost of the healers themselves. Try, that is all I'm asking of you. Give it one week, and at the end of it, you'll be no further away than you are now."

She took a deep breath, "...Okay. I can do that. It's just a week. Anyone can handle a week. How do I start?"

Setsuna rested her elbows on the table and threaded her fingers together, resting her chin on them as she looked at her with a soft smile, "Just talk to me. I'll teach you as we go."

Minako instantly saw what she meant; that position and expression on Setsuna's face made her want to trust the woman, made her feel at ease and willing to share with her because she knew Setsuna wouldn't laugh at her or dismiss her words. She took another deep breath and let it out, and let her shoulders relax for the first time since she'd entered the building, "I have a sister, and we just got here. No jobs, and while we've been sort of thinking about camping out in the forest, I couldn't help this tight feeling in my stomach all day. We split up to look for work, and I've been _so_ worried..."

* * *

 _Three hours..._ It was only a passive thought, though. Honestly, The three Genin of Team Seven couldn't care if their sensei never showed up. The three had pushed two desks together and pulled a third one close, scrolls covering all the surfaces.

Naruto leaned over her two team mates -Sakura sprawled across the two combined desks, hand on the one scroll she was checking and three beneath her that she looked back and forth between, and the other pointing to a spot on the huge scroll all three of them had most of their attention on, "This stand of trees, here. Naruto, do you know what they are?"

Naruto was shamelessly using the top of Sasuke's head as an extra desk, a chart laying on it as he held perfectly still, dark eyes flicking over the map they were crafting. "Yeah, that's a stand of sakura. I think even the same ones as the day we met. Over here, though..."

"Never mind that. Do you know a tree that looks close enough to sakuras for me to genjutsu an illusion of over them?"

Sasuke touched another point, "Divert them _here_. You said these kind of trees burn well, right? If we trap them here and then I light them up..."

Sakura pulled another scroll from the pile and laid it over the ink-sketches already there, "We need water trenches here to avoid causing a brushfire."

"Shika will see that coming a mile away..."

"Where would he hide out?"

Naruto's eyes scanned the map, then pulled out yet another scroll that was a close-up of the nearest training ground, "Shika would be... here. Because he hates this and would want to be as far away from Ino-nee's wrath as possible. ...Unless she ties herself to him again, in which case they'll probably be over here, fighting with each other."

"This is harder than I thought it'd be." Sakura commented as she made notes.

"Because all of our usual teams are broken up." Naruto grinned, "Though I've gotta say, it'll be nice fighting with you on _my team_ for once."

Sakura gave her a small smile as she wiped at an itch on her cheek, smearing ink across her face. "Same here. Though I don't know _how_ you usually get Shikamaru so motivated. Or Chouji for that matter. Actually, I don't know how you keep any of your team from falling apart..."

Naruto waved her off and moved the layered scrolls out of the way, grabbing another penbrush and marking the different plants and trees she remembered and their key characteristics for a battle. "Oh, that's easy. Kiba, Akamaru, and Chouji I bribe with food. Shino is more than happy to help me since I can help feed his Kikaichu. Shika just knows I never give up, and I'd drive him insane if he didn't participate and caused us to lose." Her smile turned devious as her blue eyes slid to their remaining team mate, "And I've been bugging Sasuke since we were seven. I've got him pretty well trained by now."

The raven-haired boy in question cast her a scathing glare- that would have been somewhat more effective had he not been allowing her to use his head as extra desk space. "Naruto..."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Joking, 'Suke. You know that." In actuality, she bribed him the same way she did the others: with food. There were a lot of things Sasuke would put up with when Naruto supplied him with an infinite variety of tomatoes. Competing in the Tag Battles really had no downsides for him. It allowed him to hone his skills in live battle -or, well, as live as it ever got with the rest of them- granted him access to the greatest minds of his generation -really, watching Naruto and Shikamaru hammer out ideas and plans was something to see- and he got 'paid' for doing so. And if there was one thing Sasuke disliked, it was losing, so he really needed no more motivation to do his best.

The metallic clang caused all three of them to look away from their project to see their Jounin-sensei standing in the doorway, covered in chalk-dust from the well-concealed trap Naruto had set up above the door, a bucket of the dust triggered to the handle being moved. The Jounin stood there, entire front shrouded in white that billowed out across the floor, his first look at his Genin team being a pink-haired girl up on a desk on her knees, face smeared with ink, the infamous Last Uchiha sitting there with a chart on the top of his head, and a blond with several inkbrushes stuck in her hair at random so they wouldn't get ink all over the multitude of scrolls sprawled out over three different desks.

Their new sensei put a hand to his chin and tilted his head up slightly in thought, "My first impression of this team is... You're a bunch of idiots."

All three of them sweatdropped. Naruto looked away with a scowl, "Not so hot yourself, Sensei..."

* * *

On the roof after they'd all had a chance to clean up the classroom and themselves (and no, they were not the least bit sorry. If their teacher had been _on time_ , he'd have had a ready team of Genin), sitting close together while their new teacher leaned against the railing.

"Introduce yourselves."

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura looked at her team mates. Even not counting the fact they'd been together in class the last six years, where it'd be impossible to at least not know the _names_ of each classmate, they were best friends. And this was their - _Jounin_ \- sensei, shouldn't he have their files?

"Names, things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies... things like that."

Sakura puffed out her cheeks, "You go first, sensei, give us an example."

"Hmm... alright. My name is Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the future... never really thought about it. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies." All three Genin sweatdropped. He pointed towards Sakura, "Your turn."

"Okay... My name is Sakura Haruno! I like my friends, I dislike people who are disrespectful of others' honest efforts -like, for example, a teacher showing up late- my hobbies are studying and training to be better and hanging out with my friends. My dream for the future is to become the top Kunoichi with Ino-chan!"

"Okay, and you next."

Sasuke visibly held in a sigh, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are few things I like. I hate being left in the dark, especially if it's about things involving me personally. My ambition is to learn the truth, and my spare time is spent on training to become strong enough to achieve that end."

Naruto rolled her eyes, highly tempted to reach over and flick Sasuke's ear for going emo again when she'd finally gotten him out of it, and more-so for their new sensei for _putting_ him back into that mood. She squirmed in place, "Me next, me next! I'm Naruto Yamanaka, and my sister is Ino Yamanaka, our clan's heir. I like ramen -lots of foods, actually, but especially ramen- and my friends, and my Kaachan... And Sasuke-teme, when he's not being too broody." Sasuke gave her a dark look, she beamed back at him, "I dislike secrets, and I can't stand bullying, and I don't much like vegetables, either. Hobbies are my friends- and cooking, which I'm pretty good at, especially ramen. And my dream for the future is to help all my friends achieve theirs-" her gaze flicked over to Sasuke, "and to become-"

"Hokage." Both her team mates finished for her at the same time. Sakura even went so far as to add on her signature 'Believe it!' at the end. Naruto pouted at them both.

Their Sensei sighed, "Well, you're certainly each unique with your own ideas... Very well, then. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

Naruto leaned forward, "What kind of mission will we do?"

"It's a task that the four of us will do together."

The Genin shared a wry look, Sakura the one that spoke for them, "Well we didn't exactly think you'd only pick one of us for it." She whispered out the side of her mouth to the others, "Does he _ever_ give a straight answer?"

Their attention was drawn back to Kakashi when he spoke, "It's a survival exercise."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, then grinned, "Cha-ching~!"

Naru tilted her head back and forth, "We're masters at that kind of thing, no problem~!"

Kakashi waved down their enthusiasm, "This is not like your previous training."

"Uh... how's it different?"

All three exchanged confused looks when Kakashi began chuckling. Sakura glared at him, "What's so funny? That's a normal question."

"You're not going to like the answer. Of the twenty-seven graduates who just came here, only nine will be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the Academy. It other words, this is a make it or break it, pass\fail test, and the chance that you'll fail is at _least_ sixty-six percent."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke immediately tensed and looked at each other. Sasuke's fingers moved so quick it looked like his hands were trembling. ' _Emergency Meeting. Tonight.'_

Naruto gave the barest nod, her own fingers flicking through code, ' _Acknowledged. Home Base. Sakura, research.'_

The other girl was already replying before she got the order out, _'On it.'_

All three of them stared at their sensei with narrowed eyes as he laughed again, "Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

Sakura raised her hand, "Sensei, if we're still not Genin yet, what was the point of the graduation test in the first place?"

"That was just to select candidates who _might_ become Genin- or not."

Her fingers twitched. ' _Target, prevent wasting resources. Hopeless dropped. Primary taken.'_

Naruto and Sasuke both signaled back an 'acknowledged'. So the Academy test was only to sort out the hopeless ones.

"Be at the designated training ground at five A.M. And bring your ninja gear." ...Like they were ever going to go without their ninja gear anyplace, ever. Kakashi turned his back on them with a wave, "That's it, you're dismissed." They stood up, pausing as he went on, "Oh, and tomorrow you might want to skip breakfast. Otherwise... You'll puke."

xxx

 **Not as many changes with Kakashi-interaction as we've had so far, but this is one station that needs to happen for everything else to work. Hope there was enough other happenings to keep interest up.**

XXX


	7. Slipping Away - We CAN'T fail!

**I just COULD NOT decide how I wanted this and the following chapter divvied up, and to be honest I'm still not particularly happy about it, but... I guess that'll happen sometimes.**

* * *

For the second time that day, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were tangled around each other as scrolls sprawled over every flat surface in the room.

"Alright, so what do we know?"

"Everyone else get the same test-talk as we did?"

The two other teams both nodded. "One by one then. These are our enemies." Ino tossed out the three photos to the middle of the circle, the only clean spot in the room.

Shino was the first one to speak, finger on the picture of a red-eyed woman, "Kurenai Yuuhi."

Ino was the one to speak up, "I've heard of her some. She's a Genjutsu specialist, and she hangs out with Anko a lot."

Shikamaru gave her a sideways look, "Mitarashi?"

Naruto rolled her eyes, "Do you _know_ of another Anko?"

"I'd prefer if I didn't know of the first one..."

Sakura's hand slapped down against the flooring loudly, "Focus! Okay, Genjutsu specialist, which means her test is likely going to be based on that."

"Genjutsu can trick the senses, and these are Jounin, no matter how they seem, they probably have access to all our files, which means not a single one of them can be overestimated and none of our usual aces are going to be effective."

"Kiba, expect that she knows about your sense of smell and will be able to trick that as well. Akamaru might be in danger, too. Hinata, your Byakugan can't see through Genjustu can it?"

She shook her head, "N-not unless it's a personal application, like the Henge, where the chakra systems remain the same, or clone Jutsu, which don't have chakra systems."

"Let's assume that these _Jounin_ are going to sink to the use of Academy-level Jutsu. They're going to push us each to our limits."

Ino nodded, "So we assume higher-levels and try to think of ways to counteract that."

Sakura looked at Naruto, and getting a nod, she pulled out the first scroll they'd worked on in the classroom earlier, "Naruto, Sasuke, and I were planning out combos for the next game of Battle Tag since we've all got teams now and know who's in each. We came up with several ideas for countering each of you. The Jounin might have similar ideas to these, or they might actually help against the Jounin." She rolled it out to show everyone.

Sasuke pointed to one of the ideas, "This should work for any opponent that relies on eye contact for their Genjutsu. We had plans to use it against Hinata and her Byakugan."

Hinata scrutinized it, then smiled up at them, "This would have worked v-very well."

Naruto plopped her chin on her fist, "Yeah, _would have_... Damn these Jounin for ruining our gameplans."

Ino reached out and flicked her, "Focus on the bigger picture here." She looked down at the information and pulled out her own Sensei's photo, "Asuma Sarutobi."

Naruto raised her hand, "Ooh! I know of him! He's the son of Hokage-jiji and is Konohamaru's uncle."

"That's nice... Now do you know anything useful about him? Like his Jutsu or style of teaching?"

Shikamaru leaned forward, "Well it's no secret that our fathers were on the same team because of their combo-clan techniques. It would make sense he would test us on how well we work together." He leaned back with a sigh and crossed his arms, "This is such a pain. None of us can get any of the important information in the Archives because we're still Genin."

Naruto gave him a sideways look, "...I've broken into the Hokage's personal trove to steal a scroll. I bet the nine of us together could break into the Archive and get away clean."

Ino narrowed in on her, "And exactly _when_ did this happen?"

The golden blonde leaned back and rubbed her neck, "Eh... Last night?"

"You still have to tell us all what happened. Hold on, I'll set up the stuff."

Naruto reached out after her, "Eh, eh, wait... Is now really the time for that stuff? Don't we have more important things to worry about?"

"No. Besides, assessing what you did last night will help us decide if the Archive Plan is viable."

Naruto wilted and pulled in on herself as Ino brought in a large mirror from her own room. She set it up against the wall and looked over at the others. Naruto slunk over, staring at her sister with big, sad storm blue eyes.

Ino frowned, but put her fingers into their Clan's unique Seal, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

Naruto's mind opened to her like a well-worn door, a path she had tread many times before- it wasn't like they'd had anyone else to practice their clan jutsu on as children. Naruto appeared before her, face unusually blank, and led the way to her memories of the night before. Ino put her hand on the doorknob and closed her eyes, splitting her focus. When she opened her eyes, she saw her own body limp and laid out gently on the floor, one of the others having kindly caught her as she'd fallen.

She faced the reflective silver surface and made another Seal, "Memory Reflection Jutsu!"

Ino's eyes, in Naruto's body, widened as the scenes appeared before her, Naruto's thoughts running through her head as the memories played out on the once-silver field in front of them all. Naruto wasn't her sister. They didn't share blood. Her heart stopped as Naruto's rampant remembered emotions crashed through her brain. The betrayal, the panic, the overpowering fear. Her own shock was washed away in the rising tide of feelings.

Sakura was there in an instant, arms around her\Naru's shoulders. And in the depths of the golden-blonde's mind, her sister was completely silent.

 _"True love is unconditional. You're my baby, I'll always love you no matter what happens."_

 _"If you_ _ **ever**_ _touch my loved ones,_ _ **I'll kill you**_ _."_

Her hands lowered. _Naruto..._

 _"Congratulations, Naruto: you graduate."_

The memories faded away and Ino put Naruto's hands into the Seal she needed, "Kai!"

The actual Naruto slowly blinked as she regained control of her body again, eyes opening wide as she promptly found herself in the middle of a group hug that included every one of the other girls. Ino's face was buried in her neck, "Dummy, you're still my sister. My _little_ sister."

Naru's arms shook as she hugged back, hiding her eyes in Ino's hair, "Neechan... Thank you."

Shikamaru awkwardly cleared his throat, "Well, that certainly explains some things..."

Sasuke's black eyes glittered darkly with anger. He _hated_ secrets, more so if they were about _him_ , and here nearly all the adults in Naruto's life had kept her in the dark about _the nine-tailed fox being sealed in her stomach_. How _dare_ they? How dare any of them?

Shikamaru took a deep breath as the girls slowly separated, tapping the 'plan', "I don't think we'll be able to get into the Archive at this rate. After all of that, just last night no less, the entire roster is going to be on high alert. Patrols will be doubled _at least_."

Naruto nodded and pulled away, wiping at her eyes, "What are your thoughts on the not-eating decree?"

Shika held his chin, "I think it's a ploy. Food is always going to be a necessity, especially going into a fight against a Jounin. And if you puke, you puke. It'd be worse to need but be out of energy at a crucial moment. And if it comes right down to it; distraction value."

Every girl in the room and half the boys made simultaneous faces of disgust -Ino's complexion was especially green- but they all nodded nonetheless. It was gross, but they were ninja now, there were going to be a lot grosser situations than being forced to use their own vomit as distractions.

"Does anyone else know anything about Kakashi?"

Kiba jumped up in excitement, "Oh! I know! He uses Ninken! I've seen him around the Clinic. Akamaru, you got anything?" They all waited in silence as the puppy tilted his head and whined, then let out a double bark. Kiba translated, "He says that he's talked to Pakkun some and he's got an amazing nose."

Shino adjusted his glasses and spoke, "As hard as it would be for Kiba to understand -and indeed, I myself- it is also very likely the Jounin won't feel the need to summon his Ninken. If he used them often, Kiba would not be the only one to know about them."

Ino sighed, "We're Genin. It's not likely the Jounin are going to take us seriously."

Naruto's hands fisted, "All the more reason to show them not to underestimate us! So! He's got dogs, I know exactly the thing to use against those. And if he doesn't use them, what else is he good in? What's this test going to _be_?!"

* * *

Sakura's head hit her knees, "He's laaaate. Again." She looked up questioningly when her blonde team mate stood up, "Naruto?"

The blonde's expression set into one of determination, "If he holds to the pattern, he'll be three hours late today, too."

Sakura called after her as she set out, "Hey, what are you doing? What if he's not that late? We'll be in major trouble if you leave."

Naruto stopped and turned back to Sakura with a close-eyed smile, "Don't worry, I'm not leaving." Her eyes opened to menacing blue slits and her teeth gleamed in the dawn light, "I'm setting traps."

Naru didn't care if their sensei only called them here as a gathering spot and the test was going to take place somewhere else. They'd warned him before about not disrespecting someone else's honest efforts. Her hands moved into the now-familiar Cross Seal, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" With a huge puff of smoke, the clearing was suddenly filled with over a dozen Narutos. All of them smirked and pulled out storage scrolls with matching vicious grins.

* * *

It was a good thing they'd eaten breakfast, and Naruto honestly doubted any of them would be puking. By the time their sensei decided to show himself, their meals were pretty much digested. "Morning everyone, ready for your first day?"

Sakura and Naruto gave him twin glares from narrowed eyes, "You're late."

"Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way."

Naru crossed her arms, unimpressed, "Just how long a way did you take? I have a friend. She's a Genin. Her sensei makes her run laps around the entirety of the village walls faster than that."

Kakashi cleared his throat in apparent discomfort under the weight of all three Genin's stares, "Well... Let's get started."

She followed behind her two team mates, her canines showing through her smile, "Let's."

Their sensei placed an alarm clock on a stump and started it, "There. It's set for noon. Your assignment is simple, you just have to take these bells-" he held up two small bells like one would find on a Christmas ornament or pet collar, "-from me. If you can't, you'll go without lunch. And you'll be tied to those posts while you watch me eat _my_ lunch in front of you."

 _Shikamaru, you genius, remind me to let you take a nap the next time you ask for one!_ Naruto cocked her head, "Hey, so, Math isn't my best subject, but there's only two bells, and three of us..."

"Oh, that? Well that way, at least one of you winds up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the Academy."

Green, black, and ocean blue clashed for a single second. Sakura's fingers twitched. _'Objective: mission under fire, enemies in-bound?'_

Naruto ran the (admittedly limited) Sign Language through the decoder part of her mind. Kakashi's test was seeing how they dealt with a mission where they had enemies after the same objective?

Sasuke answered back. _'Assume yes.'_

Naruto added to it. _'Plan no.'_

"You can use any weapon, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."

She had to hold back another evil grin at that, because her traps had exactly that in mind. Oh, nothing _lethal_... Much. Nothing her mother and a less-experienced Chuunin hadn't survived already, at least. "Sensei, is chalk-dust permissible, or would that be considered too deadly?"

Kakashi narrowed his single visible eye at her, "Smart-alecs often attack with words because they lack the skills to back them up. They can be safely ignored. Class clowns. Failures."

 _Failure. Failure. Failure._

Naruto moved before she could stop herself, the only thing keeping her from throwing herself at the silver-haired bastard-sensei was Sasuke's sudden grip on her wrist. He tapped out a code against her skin. _'Calm. Attack later. Objective. Promise.'_

She _shook_ with the urge to shove those words back down the Jounin's throat. It was an all-consuming _need_ , coursing through her system and pulsing below her skin. She hated that word. She _hated_ it! Her entire life she'd been called a failure, no matter how hard she tried, how well she did. She'd show that bastard, _she'd show him_!

It took a lot -more than she was expecting- to calm her breathing, to get a handle on herself again to the point Sasuke felt confident enough about her control to let go. She had to stay calm, stay focused. Rage got her nowhere, it was how she'd managed to defeat Mizuki, because she'd taunted him into a fury and capitalized on his distraction.

Naruto pulled out a kunai by the loop, spinning it around to hold in a reverse grip, "I'll show you what a failure I am. Start the test!"

Kakashi closed his eye at them and tilted his head, "Ready? And... Start!"

They took off.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura were gone, disappearing in a flash. Kakashi stared at the spot they'd been, "A ninja must be able to conceal their movements and hide effectively." _Well, at least they understand that much. They've hidden well._ Then his gaze settled on the blonde standing out in the open. _Well, most of them._

Naruto fell into a defensive stance, "You're going to regret saying those things about me."

Kakashi blinked, "You know, compared to the others, you're a bit... weird."

She ground her teeth, "Tch, I've been called worse." She moved forward, halting cautiously as the Jounin reached into his weapons' pouch and retrieved- a book. A _smut_ book if the cover was anything to go by.

Naruto felt her eyebrow twitch. He was taunting her- again. And it was _working_. "Shinobi battle skills part one: Taijutsu, the physical art. Well? What are you waiting for?"

 _I won't I won't I won't._ Naru held still and watched him. And she watched his eye widen in surprise when she disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Jounin's hand flashed out to divert the kick the real Naruto had aimed at his head. She spun around backwards to retaliate with an elbow that he stopped cold.

 _Eyes, nose, throat, kidneys, groin, kneecaps, instep._ Naruto could hear her mother's voice reciting them again and again. _"Hit any of these places, and hit them_ _ **hard**_ _, and you won't have to worry about your opponent getting back up again."_

She spun around with a low kick right for his knees, grinding her teeth in frustration when he jumped over the move. _Too fast. He's just too fast._ Naruto had never been the quickest in her class to begin with. She didn't stand a chance of matching a Jounin's speed. The punch she aimed at his abdomen connected with nothing more than air and Naruto could _feel_ his presence behind her. Time to get some distance before he decided to get a hit of his own in. She glared back at him over her shoulder, noticing the Hand Seal -Tiger- and waved at him, eyes closed and tongue stuck out, before disappearing in another puff of smoke.

Kakashi stood up and ran a hand through his hair, "Well she gets points for knowing when to retreat..." He rounded with a surprised grunt, avoiding the kunai from behind that had been on track to embed itself in one of his kidneys. He grabbed the orange-clad arm and pulled it forward, forcing Naruto in front of him and bending her arm back with the easy strength of his ninja rank, forcing the girl to hold the weapon at the base of her own skull. "Well, you _are_ a surprise, aren't you? You actually came at me with the intent to kill. That's good- but not good enough."

"But sensei, there's something I know that you don't know."

"Oh? What's that?"

She grinned, "That is not a kunai."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise as the clone dropped its transformation, both feet kicking out squarely against his jaw and sending him flying backwards.

"There's something I know, too: That wasn't the real me." Oceanic blue eyes widened in panic as the vest-clad form she'd just sent flying disappeared in a poof of smoke.

 _He copied my technique..._ Naruto froze for only a fraction of a second, but that was all the time her sensei needed to casually backhand her from where he suddenly appeared beside her. Her jaw and cheek exploded with pain and she tasted copper as her teeth cut the inside of her cheek.

Kakashi blinked as she flew across the terrain, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop, utterly still. "Huh, guess that was the real one. ...Oops."

Sakura's voice called out from the underbrush in panic, "Naruto!"

Naruto moved, haltingly, painfully, her shoulders shifting as she brought her hand forward. A single blue eye opened, and Kakashi was treated to a showing of bloody teeth as she smiled and her hand lit up with the outpouring of raw chakra.

The ground below the Jounin came alive and he sprang away as kunai-like roots shot from the ground where he'd been standing. He had to admit it, he was reluctantly beginning to like this girl. A kunai whizzed by, far too high to be of any threat- until it sliced through the thin line of wire above. Kakashi flipped away as a net was pulled skyward, previously hidden below the layer of ground moss. He shifted to the side as the springing of the first trap set off another one behind him, raising more spikes.

He sped forward, eye widening as a 'fwoom' of air erupted in the space in front of him, raining down... confetti? Kakashi blinked at the tiny white slips of paper, until he noticed miniscule writing on them. He had just enough time for his eye to widen before the miniature explosive tags lit up yellow.

Hiding near by, Sasuke and Sakura both winced and clapped their hands over their ears at the percussion, attempting to rub away the ringing that remained.

The black smoke cleared just in time for him to grab Naruto's kick by the ankle and fling her away. She flipped midair and put her hand against the ground to help her acclimate and slow down, shooting back towards him in an orange\yellow blur. "You just don't give up, do you?"

"Not ever!" She answered, arm coming up towards Kakashi's eye. He slapped her hand up, his other palm shooting out towards her own stomach and sending her back.

"Well this is getting tedious. You're interrupting my reading time."

Kakashi moved forward so fast he didn't even leave a blur. It was a wonder Naruto was able to flip out of the way quick enough to avoid his own punch. But he noticed how all of her efforts had not, if fact, been to get a bell. They'd been to herd him towards the only tree in the clearing.

Naruto went sailing through the air and landed hard on the ground before dispersing into smoke. _She really is rather proficient with Shadow Clones, isn't she?_ Kakashi stood still less than a yard from the tree, waiting, and Naruto didn't disappoint- and she was apparently getting more frustrated, because that kunai in her hand was aimed for his spine this time. An eye-smile towards the prospective Genin was the only warning she got before she felt herself being moved.

"No!"

Kakashi watched as the young blonde was unable to stop her forward momentum and continued on toward the tree from the spot he'd Substituted with her. Naruto let out an undignified squawk as the wire snapped closed around her ankle and hauled her upwards to dangle like a fish on a line.

Naruto was mortified and felt her face flame. _Oh, gods._ Caught in her own trap! Kiba was never going to let her forget this!

"It was smart to lay traps for your enemy. So obviously herding them toward those traps... not-so-smart. A ninja must see through deception."

"I get it, I get it!" She was the one who'd laid them, right? She knew how to be a ninja!

"I'm telling you this because you _don't_ 'get it'. You _think_ you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it, get it?"

"No, Sensei, _you_ don't get it." _Three, two, one..._

 _Whoosh!_ Sasuke's shuriken and kunai flew from the treeline. The Jounin did, of course, use a replacement at the last second - _pity..._ \- but either way worked for Naruto, she honed in on Sasuke's chakra signature on his kunai embedded in the log, and Substituted herself free of the wire.

Naruto touched down flawlessly on the ground, but, unfortunately, her quarry and her back-up were both long gone. She ground her teeth together and stomped, "Dammit! I almost had him!"

* * *

Sakura ran through the trees, fleeing from her compromised position. She hadn't trusted Naruto enough and had given herself away. _Stupid, I should have-_

She caught sight of the Jounin in question in the clearing in front of her and stopped dead, freezing in place and checking her position to make sure neither her red qipao or eye-catching pink hair was visible from where she stood. _If I can just..._

A voice whispered near by, stilling the breath in her lungs, "Sakura, behind you."

 _Don't look, don't look!_ She looked, a surprised shriek escaping before she could stop it. The Jounin's hands moved to make a Seal and Sakura didn't hesitate. She didn't know if it was because she'd spoken of it so much the day before that it was fresh in her mind when she needed it most, and she didn't question it. Her eyes slammed shut and her hands came up in front of her face, fingers spread, on either side of her eyes, palms facing inward, and her chakra surged forth, "Flash!"

Sakura heard their sensei let out a shout of pain as the searing white light blinded him- it was so strong that it left black spots in her _own_ vision. But Sakura didn't have to see to run, she'd walked the area of Training Ground Three while Naruto had been busy setting up traps. Sakura knew she was no match for a Jounin all on her own, she'd seen the beating Naruto had just taken. But still... Her shoulders pulled back as she straightened. She couldn't shame Naruto or Sasuke's efforts by giving anything less than her best.

If her sensei was going to focus on Genjutsu with her, then he was going to need line of sight to pull that off.

Her hands flashed through Seal after Seal and her chakra roiled with intent, "Hidden Art: Sulphur Smoke Jutsu!" The entire area disappeared in powerful-smelling smoke. This had been their plan to use against team eight to fool Kiba's sense of smell and Hinata's Byakugan at the same time.

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest as she threw herself into the smoke with her eyes closed, counting on her own ability to sense her opponent's chakra. She had the best chakra control out of their entire graduating class, Ino the only one anywhere close to her. It was easy when she had such a small pool of chakra herself, but her own chakra reserves were so small that it made it easy for her to feel the chakra of people close to her, the same way it was easier to see torches in the darkness when one only had a candle.

Naruto couldn't do this at all, it was like trying to look past the sun for her.

Sakura aimed low, for where she estimated the back of her sensei's knees to be. She didn't actually have to _beat_ him. If she could just distract him long enough to get a bell...

Kakashi's hand shot out, clamping like a steel band around her calf, Sakura sucked in a breath of chakra-heavy smoke as he swung her around. Her back collided with the trunk of the nearest tree and she screamed in pain. Her entire back was going to be one gigantic bruise tomorrow. She whimpered as she tried to push herself upright, focusing through blurry eyes to make sure her Jutsu didn't fade. Her hands flashed through more Seals and she sent out clones in the hope of distracting the Jounin until she could manage to stand.

Hopefully with Jounin level reserves, he wouldn't be able to sense her tiny flicker of chakra. Sakura's spine throbbed in pain every time she tried to move. _I have to get up..._ She couldn't yet. Her muscles refused to listen to her. If she didn't want him to get her, she needed to come up with something, and fast.

Careful to maintain silence, Sakura's hand reached into one of her pouches and she came out with a pair of shuriken, a moment later she launched them through the cover. _If he's as proficient as I suspect..._

She heard it through the smoke- felt the human-shaped disruption in her chakra field as Kakashi caught the shuriken on his fingers. Sakura smirked where he couldn't see and pulled hard on the wires connected to the projectiles, yanking the Jounin right off his feet with a grunt. A full brace of shuriken followed suit where she estimated him to be on the ground.

Unfortunately, unable to move, Sakura had momentarily forgotten the shinobi rule of never attacking from the same position twice. She had to bite through her lip as her own weapons came back at her, one embedded thoroughly in her leg. She heaved herself back to her feet, her back and leg protesting sharply, focusing and regulating her shaky breathing, she ran through one last set of Hand Seals and intoned the technique's name in her mind only, so that it didn't alert her opponent. _Premature Burial Jutsu!_

The smoke cleared away, and Kakashi was left staring at lonely trees, Genin nowhere in sight. He pulled out his book again, "Hmm, they're better than I thought..."

* * *

"Shinobi battle skill number two: the illusion jutsu. Someone's been doing extra studying; they don't teach countermeasures like that in class."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, a quick scan of the terrain showing Sakura nowhere near by. She must have gotten away, then. "My turn. I've seen what you can do with the other two. I'm not impressed."

"Say that _after_ you get one of the bells, hmm? You and Naruto sure do like to talk like you're the best and the brightest, don't you? And yet, neither of you have managed to get a bell yet."

 _If he's going by the same formula of Shinobi Basics as he used with the others, then by elimination,_ _ **Ninjutsu**_ _is what he'll use on me._ Not, he recalled, that Kakashi had stuck _strictly_ to his 'lesson' either other times. He'd just have to be extra cautious.

Sasuke reached into his weapons' pouch and sent a volley of shuriken and kunai at the Jounin. He dodged to the side- exactly as Sasuke had been expecting. Naruto hadn't been the only one setting up traps the last three hours. His next kunai went straight up, and through the rope trigger of his trap.

More kunai shot from several other directions and again Kakashi slid to the side- right into Sasuke's path as he struck out with a kick. Kakashi blocked with his crossed wrists and grabbed Sasuke's ankle- just as he had with Naruto and Sakura. But Sasuke wasn't like Sakura and Naruto. Sakura relied on distraction to a crippling degree, and Naruto's taijutsu style was the complete opposite of his. Naruto struck out for weak points. She hit and she hit _hard_. Sasuke, on the other hand, was a grappler.

He didn't give the Jounin the chance to toss him like he had the girl, shifting his weight to his arm and following up with a right hook that Kakashi grabbed with his other hand- which left his head wide open to the kick of Sasuke's other leg as he swung around again, using the older shinobi's hold on him to manage his momentum. He was left in a lurching upside-down limbo as he reached out with his free hand for the bells at the Jounin's waist.

The bits of metal jangled against his fingers before Kakashi figured out what he was doing and shoved him away. He flipped around expertly and landed in a crouch, ebony gaze trained on his opponent. _So close!_

But the element of surprise was lost, doubtless the Jounin wouldn't let him close in like that again. He'd have to switch strategies.

" _If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells."_

Sasuke took a deep breath. _Alright then._ He trusted Naruto and Sakura to be able to get away if this all went horribly awry. Sasuke flashed through seven Hand Seals, his right hand out in front of him as a line of light appeared in his hold, his left pulling back by his shoulder, tilting his whole body back towards the sky, "Fire Style: Flame Sniper."

Kakashi's eye widened drastically as a hail of hellfire rained down on him. _Impossible, Genin can't_ _ **do**_ _Fire Style Jutsu; takes too much chakra._ The flaming projectiles flew at him, irregardless of his belief in them. He rolled out of the way as Sasuke pointed his technique directly towards him, arrows of compressed fire forcing him to move beyond the speed he'd estimated having to use on any of these Genin just to avoid. The raven-haired teen showed no concern for his Jutsu going wide and embedding into the surrounding flora. A wildfire started up immediately as the underbrush caught flame.

Kakashi rolled out of the way, eye warily on the blaze starting up around them, Sasuke appearing not the least bothered by the climbing heat. _And another reason why Genin_ _ **shouldn't**_ _do Fire Style Jutsus: no control._

Branches snapped and fell to the ground around them, the heat growing ever more intense as the chakra-fueled inferno spread at a pace that put all natural fires to shame. Kakashi wasn't sure what kind of trees these were, but they went up like they were soaked in pitch and weren't helping the situation in the slightest. One behind him exploded outward as the sap within superheated and turned to steam too quickly. Well, there was certainly no escaping into the forest for either of them at this point. They were in the middle of a blazing inferno.

"Fan _tastic_. I'll give you this: you certainly aren't like the other two. Neither of them seriously risked killing themselves just to trap me."

Sasuke smirked at him, "What risk?" His hands flashed through another series of Seals, and he spread his arms wide, "Fire Style: Fire Snake Jutsu!"

The flames around them all pushed in closer, curling in around them like a great serpent, a coiling body showing itself in the merrily flickering fire, before rising up behind Sasuke in the shape of huge snake, head poised for striking. The construct seemed to watch him with burning eyes that Sasuke's almost copied, flames reflecting in the black surfaces as it was, and then it struck, engulfing the Jounin completely in a scarlet blaze.

When the heat became stifling even for him, Sasuke pulsed his chakra one more time, "Release!"

The unnatural fire, fed from his chakra, died around him. The ground was scorched away to bare earth everywhere except at his feet, the few standing trees blackened and burned husks that glowed with a few remaining embers still. The destruction had been so complete and so intensely quick that there was no smoke clogging the air, the particles burned to nothing. Soft gray ash drifted on the wind in the newly-made clearing.

Sasuke took shaking breaths as he calmed his heartbeat down, his body erratic at the sudden loss of chakra. He might not have had as much as Naruto, but he'd been training since he'd met her to try and close the gap between them. He ordered his limbs to behave and dared them to start trembling as he looked around for his opponent. There was no way Kakashi could have gotten out of that unscathed. And there was nowhere to hide thanks to his sudden flame-based clear-cutting of the area. _So where...?_

Or so Sasuke thought, right up until a hand emerged from the ground and wrapped itself around his leg. "I'm where you least expect me."

Sasuke couldn't hold in his shout as his body was dragged underground.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

The insufferable Jounin crouched down next to him, the bells directly in his line of sight as they jingled tauntingly. _Damn... it_. Sasuke struggled and pulled, but his shoulders on down were thoroughly entombed in the earth, the ground as solid as if it hadn't been moved in a decade, not aerated like it should have logically been if a person had been moving through it just moments before.

"Can't move, huh? Shinobi battle skill number three: Ninjustu. For what it's worth, you were right: You _are..._ different from the others. But different isn't always better. They say that the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down." And he pulled out that damn book again and walked away, leaving him there.

Silence engulfed the clearing as Sasuke focused on breathing and not losing his temper since it wouldn't do a thing to help him. He felt something wrap around his leg and smirked as he was dragged fully underground, the earth where he'd been appearing completely undisturbed.

xxx

 **I know this probably seems... extreme. *looks back up* But this is different from canon, and HERE, Kakashi left three very miffed (and very talented) Genin alone unsupervised for three hours.**

 **There was a 3K chunk of text that I just COULD NOT break up (the first half of the bell test), but I couldn't decide how I wanted these two chapters to go. I'm still not completely happy, but I've decided this is where the cut off point is. So the next chapter is significantly shorter than this one.*sigh* Dammit.**

XXX


	8. Going to War - Don't Underestimate Us!

**Shorter chapter, hopefully it's exciting enough to make up for that. 'The Thing' I have them doing here, I didn't even know it was a canon thing until later research turned it up. Eh, what can a writer do?**

 **So here it is: Last chapter of the week, let me know what you guys think of the action.**

* * *

Naruto scowled into the darkness, "Well that failed rather spectacularly." She crossed her arms and glared daggers at the imaginary form of their sensei.

"Naruto, light."

"Oh, right." Naruto let her chakra spill out- carefully, so they didn't alert the Jounin with a sudden surge. They all breathed in a breath of fresh air as plants immediately sprang into being from the roots surrounding their subterranean war council. That would keep them all from asphyxiating as they discussed things below the radar thanks to Sakura's Jutsu.

Naruto uncrossed her arms and set them on her knees, leaning forward, "So, anyone else fair any better at all than I did?"

Sakura shook her head, pointing to her bandaged calf, "Not in the slightest."

Sasuke ground his teeth together for a moment, the taste of defeat bitter on his tongue, "He beat me. Like it was _nothing_."

Naruto's hands clenched on her knees, "None of us are giving up, right?!"

Sakura shook her head, "No way. How could I tell Ino we both failed?"

Blonde hair slipped forward as she lowered her head, "How can I go back and tell Kaachan I failed _twice_? Every day is one day closer to the chance of some other woman becoming Hokage before me."

Their male team mate dug his fingers into the lush flora below them, "I _have_ to get stronger. I am a Truth Seeker, I have to be strong enough to get the answers out of anyone. We _need_ this training, we can't afford any set-backs."

Naruto nodded, her head coming up and blue eyes blazing, "Then that settles it, doesn't it? We fight, and we _win_ , rules or not, test or not."

Sakura stared down at her lap, "But what can we do? He completely demolished all of us."

Silence consumed them before Sasuke spoke up, "Earlier, I touched the bells."

Sakura's head came up, expression one the others had seen so many times before- the last being just the previous day, when she'd come up with the idea to use the Flash Jutsu against Hinata, "I've got a plan."

Naruto grinned ferally when Sakura finished explaining, the expression matched by a large, sharp smile from Sakura and a vicious smirk from Sasuke, "C'mon, it's time to school our sensei on the _other_ shinobi arts he forgot."

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his book to see all three of his prospective Genin standing in front of him, close together, "We've come... for the bells."

 _Huh..._ He closed his book and put it away, taking in the trio standing there. _Looks like they're ready to get serious._ "Then come get them."

Sasuke and Naruto both disappeared in twin bursts of speed. Kakashi's hand came up to block Sasuke's kick, grabbing his foot. He twisted it so that the the raven-haired boy wouldn't get the idea to try the same tack he'd used earlier. Black eyes narrowed as their owner smirked, his other foot quickly striking out and between Kakashi's arms towards his face. The Jounin caught it with his other hand, his head automatically leaning backwards to avoid it on instinct- right into position to take Naruto's much more powerful drop-kick to the face.

Naruto grinned as she flipped away, "Shinobi battle skill number four: misdirection."

Sasuke pushing off the Jounin's chest with his released feet, "They say that the nail that sticks up is the one that gets hammered down."

The white-topped form rose from the dust, "Points for working together, but even with the both of you combined, it's not enough to damage me."

"That sounds like a challenge. Sasuke?"

The raven-haired boy _smiled_ , and that was the first indication something was off, "Challenge accepted."

Naruto swept forward, Kakashi stopping her sweep-kick by bringing his own foot down on it to trap it to the ground, giving Sasuke the chance to get behind him. The pale teen stood back-to-back with the Jounin and wrapped his arms around the front of Kakashi's throat over his own head and _heaved_ him forward over his shoulders. The Jounin tucked into a roll and came to his feet away from them- far enough away for Naruto to beam at him and toss a shuriken toward the treeline, a volley of weapons shooting from the trees as she bent down and slammed her hands into the ground with a surge of chakra, summoning more piercing roots as she had before.

Kakashi wove between them, eye going wide as Sasuke held out his right hand to Naruto's left and they went through Hand Seals together. "Fusion Style-!"

 _That's... not possible! There's no_ _ **way**_ _-!_

"Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke's other hand moved in front of his mouth and he sucked in a great breath, blowing out a stream of superheated fire. The water content in the roots around him boiled and turned to steam in the intense heat, exploding in all directions in a grand conflagration of fire, wood shrapnel, and searing steam.

Kakashi had no choice but to move back toward the destructive duo or risk being impaled. "You two... think you're really something, don't you? You don't realize just how tenuous your position _is_." Kakashi grabbed Sasuke by the neck and slammed him into the ground, wrenching the Genin's arm up behind his back and pushing his face into the ground with a foot. "On a real mission things happen that you can't control and you're left to make an impossible choice. For instance-" he spun out a kunai and held it to Sasuke's throat, "Sakura, kill Naruto or Sasuke dies."

The blonde's fingers curled and twitched as Sakura stared in disbelief, then her head tilted down, bangs slipping forward to shadow her eyes, "Understood!" The Jounin stared in wide-eyed horror as Sakura pulled out a kunai of her own and turned on Naruto, the blade sinking cleanly into the blonde's chest. Kakashi waited for the poof of a dispelling Shadow Clone, but it never came, and Naruto fell backwards, expression a mixture of pain and shock.

Moving faster than any of the teens could see, Kakashi was by her side in an instant, "Naruto!"

He was caught completely by surprise as Naruto spun up into a kick aimed to dislocate his jaw and Sasuke came up behind him again. He turned, holding Naruto's leg in one hand and stopping Sasuke with the other, unable to quite catch up with what he thought was happening.

Naruto smiled up at him innocently, "Shinobi battle skill number five: Information-gathering. Tell me, Sensei, are you aware of the nine-tailed demon fox sealed in my stomach?" Kakashi's grip on the both of them went slack and he was left wide open to their dual kicks as Sasuke went for his head while Naruto's leg whipped out close to the ground.

"Shinobi battle skill number six: disruption."

Naruto and Sasuke spoke in tandem, "Shinobi battle skill number seven: _ambush!_ "

Kakashi let out a gurgle of surprise as a dozen hands burst from the ground around him, pulling him down. A chorus of female voices came from below, "Earth Style: Pseudo-Headhunter Jutsu!"

When Kakashi was nothing more than a head sticking up from the earth, one more pair of hands rose from the ground. Naruto and Sasuke both reached down and helped pull Sakura up from her earthen tomb. They all tensed when the timer went off and Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, standing back-to-back and panting.

Kakashi hopped down from the tree in the middle of the clearing, "Fabulous effort, truly. Unfortunately for you three, you were too focused on beating me and not on the actual objective of the mission, which was to get the bells."

Naruto smirked like her male team mate and brought her hand up, "You mean... _these_ bells, Sensei?"

Kakashi's eye widened and his hand went down to his belt, where two bits of metal chimed merrily, "What?" Even as he watched, the bells at his waist disappeared in a poof of smoke, "How in the world did you...? You Substituted Transformed Shadow Clones for the actual bells?!"

Naruto closed her eyes, tilted her head, and stuck her tongue out, "Yep! See, Sasuke touched the bells earlier, right? So I just had to make the clones and transform, then Sakura locked in on Sasuke's chakra signature and switched the Transformed me's for the real bells since she's got better chakra control. The whole fight? That was just me and Sasuke distracting you so you wouldn't notice."

"It's not... possible for someone to Substitute two third parties..."

Naruto rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Yeah, well, no one told us all that before we did it. Kaachan was surprised, too."

"Wait." Kakashi had gone from being in absolute control to feeling like the ground he stood upon was quicksand, "Who all can do this new Substitution Jutsu?"

"Well, all of us _know_ it, but it tends to take more chakra control than I have."

Sakura held up her fingers to count, "Naruto, me, Sasuke; Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru; Shino, Kiba, and Hinata."

Kakashi shook his head. He'd figure it all out later, because apparently the files he had on his prospective team had been lacking- a lot. He let out a loud sigh and eye-smiled at the cute little trio, "So... Who gets the bells?"

Naruto turned around and looked between her team mates, then turned back to Kakashi, "I don't understand the question, Kakashi-sensei. We each have one." The three of them held up identical bells, giving them a little shake so they jangled.

Kakashi looked between the three bells, but couldn't find any difference between them, even though he could logically conclude that one of them was another Transformed Clone. It was perfectly done. "You cheated."

"Shinobi battle skill number eight," Naruto's piercing storm blue eyes opened and pinned him in place, "Shinobi do whatever it takes to get the mission done; there _is_ no 'playing fair'."

Kakashi threw back his head and laughed, "How can I put this? I'm actually beginning to like you guys."

Sakura fidgeted, "Does that mean...?"

The Jounin held his chin and closed his eye in thought, "Let's see. You three showed the teamwork absolutely vital to all Genin, managed to accomplish the mission within the time limit, and lied and cheated just so you wouldn't be separated from each other."

Sakura took a deep breath and gathered her courage, "Some things are more important than the rules. Friends are one of those things."

Sasuke took a protective step forward, "We are Konoha Shinobi, we help each other out, no matter what."

Naruto smiled, "We are more than we are: we are one."

Kakashi took them all in, "You're one, hmm?" He was in front of them without even a blur of moment to betray him, finger pointed at them, "You all... pass."

Sakura blinked disbelievingly, "We... pass?"

"A ninja must see underneath the underneath. In the shinobi world, those who break the rules are scum -that is... true- but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Congratulations you three. The training exercise is over. Squad Seven begins its first mission tomorrow."

Naruto almost didn't believe it, still waiting for the shoe to drop. Then it felt like her ribcage expanded about three times its size and her shoulders slumped in relief. _I did it..._ She looked at her two team mates, Sasuke and Sakura both showing their own relief in different ways, the raven-haired boy more stoically than Sakura's jumping for joy. _No..._ _ **we**_ _did it._ Naruto beamed hugely, so much so that her cheeks hurt, and pulled both of the other teens in for a group hug, "YAAHOOO!"

Kakashi eye-smiled at them all and turned, "Come on, team. Let's go home."

Naru giggled and followed after him backwards, pulling Sakura and Sasuke along with her by the hand, "Let's."

xxx

 **The reason Naruto and the others are all so close is because the Yamanaka clan creed is to be as open and friendly as possible and hold close your bonds. Something that Ino might have continued doing in canon if Sakura hadn't ended their friendship the way she did- which she wasn't given the chance to do here.**

 **Omake:**

 **"So... Who gets the bells?"**

 **The three looked at each other and converged in a mini war council, after a minute of talk, they all nodded and stood up, staring at each other intently. Kakashi watched their odd focus with blatant curiosity. There was only one way to settle something as momentous as this, and all three moved at the same time.**

 **"Rock-Paper-Scissors, shoot!"**

XXX


	9. Naru's Ultimate Jutsu - PILLOW FIGHT!

Makoto looked at the Jounin piercingly for a minute, then sighed and stood aside, "Please come in, Kakashi-kun."

"Yamanaka-san."

Her eyes narrowed, "Unless you're a foolish Council Member attempting to take my children from me, I prefer not to be known by my husband's Clan name. My name is Makoto, you may even use Mako-kun if you'd prefer; enough of my friends do and I hold no shame over my tomboyish tendencies."

"Ah... Thank you, Makoto-sempai."

She smiled over her shoulder at him as she led the way to the dining room, "Now that one's a little out of date. I'm not a Jounin anymore, Kashi-kun."

"You aren't on the _roster_ anymore, Makoto-sempai. I am intelligent enough to know the difference."

She closed her eyes, tilted her head, and stuck her tongue out. Hmm, so that was where Naruto got that from. "No wonder my daughter couldn't stop talking about you, you seem to see through everything, don't you, Kakashi-kun?" Sharp green eyes opened and zeroed in on him. Kakashi stilled at the sensation threatening to flatten him to the ground. It wasn't Killing Intent, but close; the feeling of a very capable, very _powerful_ , very _protective_ mother assessing if he was worthy of her child. "Why, exactly _did_ you come here, Kakashi?" No suffix, she was getting serious.

Kakashi cleared his throat, "My- My record files appear to be woefully lacking on all members of my Genin team, and I was hoping you could help fill in some of the blanks, Makoto-sama."

The predatory glint in her eyes didn't leave, but it did abate some, and she dropped her gaze to the table to pour them both tea, handing him a cup with a smile that was, for all its gentility, a dangerous warning not to cross her. "You could not have come to a better source in the entire village. I know probably the most about all of this year's rookies out of anyone. I will endeavor to answer to the best of my ability- assuming the normally forbidden subjects remain just that; forbidden."

Kakashi took that as 'the first crack about my child being the Kyuubi, and you'll wish the tea had been acid by the time I'm through with you'. Coming from a Jounin kunoichi with over seven years experience on him and a talent for plants, he took the warning entirely seriously. He set the cup down on the table and cleared his throat again, "I like to think myself above such social blunders, Makoto-sama: my sensei taught me better than that." There, that should help a little. A reminder that Minato, Makoto's own team mate, had been his sensei and a gentle nudge to trust in what the blond had taught him.

A single slow nod was the response, and she took a sip from her own cup, "Then ask your questions."

Kakashi leaned back and let out a minute sigh of relief. He hated playing politics, especially against other shinobi. "I read that Naruto was unable to complete a simple Clone Jutsu, and yet she was able to summon roots for the purpose of trying to impale me during the Genin test."

Makoto didn't even bother trying to hide her smirk, and Kakashi twitched, "You've heard about the Mizuki incident, I presume?"

"Heard about, yes. But the report on it was sealed, and the only thing that remains is rumor. Though I have been able to substantiate the one claiming that a Genin was able to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu. She's quite talented with it."

The brunette nodded and wrapped her fingers around her cup, "She is. I can only tell you so much because there are clan secrets involved, but as I was the one who requested the file be sealed, I can tell you a bit more about the incident than common rumor. All you really need to know is that Naruto, not even a Genin yet, was able to infiltrate the Hokage's office, steal the Forbidden Scroll, and not only get away, but learn and _master_ a B-Class forbidden Jutsu in the space of a few hours. Granted, she likely could not have found a Jutsu better suited to her unique situation to learn, but her accomplishments, and the child in question, shouldn't be underestimated."

Kakashi's only visible eye narrowed, "I see... And she defeated Mizuki? Can you tell me about that?"

Makoto's smile turned pained, "He told her. He told her and she froze because he kept hammering the fact home. He threw a dai shuriken at her and I reacted first as a mother rather than a kunoichi. If Iruka hadn't been there to help pull it out of my back, had I tried to remove it on my own, it would have severed my spinal cord. Even Jounin are only ever one mistake away from death."

"Then how did an Academy student take him down?"

She gave him a wry look, "Did I not just say it was my own foolishness that nearly cost me my life? And I am a Jounin. Mizuki was a Chuunin, he had a grudge, and he severely underestimated his opponent. According to Naru-chan, she frustrated him, playing to his anger and hatred of her to distract him, throwing Shadow Clones to disorient and infuriate him further, and raised the grass from the ground to something like two meters high. By the time he realized the danger, she was able to simply bind him in place."

"Rope Escape Jutsu?"

"Didn't get the chance, Naruto sealed his chakra."

"Fuinjutsu?"

Makoto shook her head, "You understand I can only explain this in the vaguest of terms because it involved Kino Clan secrets." Kakashi nodded and she went on, "In laymen's terms, she ran her own chakra through Mizuki's body, disrupting his own chakra pathways and forcing his chakra to follow the path hers burned through his chakra network. All his chakra would have followed the new path, and then she pooled it all in one spot and linked it into the ground to drain away like rainwater. It's a very advanced Clan Jutsu, on a smaller scale than what we usually do for the village."

"I don't understand... How can she have such prodigious chakra control and still not pull off a simple Clone?"

Makoto smiled and crossed her free hand over the other that was holding her teacup by the rim, resting her chin on them, "Ah, but that's the thing: Naruto is absolutely abysmal at chakra control. But if chakra _manipulation_ is what you're looking for, you'll find none better."

Kakashi blinked, raising his hands in a full-body shrug, "Makoto-sama, if anything, you've only enshrouded the matter further instead of clearing it up."

She tossed her head back and let out a rich, earthy laugh, "Sorry about that." She put her cup down and leaned forward, "Let me try to explain is less nebulous terms. Naruto has truly massive reserves of chakra, to such a point that it cripples her Jutsu abilities. You and I and Inoichi all together still couldn't match her chakra pool."

Kakashi's eye widened, "That's..."

"Ridiculous? Utterly. But it's also true. To help her with it, I trained her in my clan techniques, which require either exact chakra control, or massive quantities to make up for it. Naruto has the latter. With this exercise, Naruto has been handling her chakra near-constantly, channeling and playing with it. And she's very good at that, but that isn't 'control' in the way that shinobi are taught control. Naruto is young, and like the young, she's lacking truly fine motor control. To Naruto, her own reserves are like a giant can of spraypaint that she can hold, and as I'm sure you've seen some of her more... eclectic pranks, you know she's very gifted with that and can create gorgeous and detailed murals- on a large scale. But asking her to practice standard chakra control is like giving her a brush with a single bristle and asking her to paint Shogi tiles."

"I see..."

"If you want pure chakra manipulation, Naruto is your kunoichi, but if control is what you need, you're looking at the wrong blonde. Ino-chan is the best out of the graduating class with chakra control, followed swiftly by Sakura, who's a bit better at academics than Ino-chan."

"I'm concerned about the exact how of Naruto managed to subdue Mizuki. For instance, will she be able to train to use this technique reliably?"

"Ah- no, I'm afraid that there was a very specific set of circumstances that allowed her to do it in the first place."

"Such as?"

"Mizuki made the mistake of asking Naruto to meet him in the Chakra Forest. Naruto's technique would normally be a great blow to a shinobi due to the blow that forcing your own chakra into another's coils normally causes, but that's all it would do, as she'll have a great deal of training necessary still to do that reliably without completely rupturing whoever's system she tries it on and killing them. It was only because Naruto was using a kind of Kino clan training that is only possible here in Konoha that she was able to manage the necessary control, and only the very specific location of the Chakra Forest's Nexus that allowed her to Drain Seal him."

"Nexus?" Kakashi asked.

"A nexus is... a place where several lines of energy meet. The Chakra Forest has one of these as well as a very few other spots of power around the village, and it was only because of this that Naruto managed what she did. Outside of both the forest and the village, however..."

Kakashi nodded, "Chakra system rupture."

"Chakra system rupture." Makoto confirmed.

He hummed in acknowledgement, then moved on to another line of questions. "Naruto managed to layer Jutsu like it was nothing. She Transformed Shadow Clones that Sakura then Substituted for the bells. Aside from not even being _possible_ , these Genin have an inherent feel for team work on a level I've never even seen before. Naruto and Sasuke used a _combination_ Jutsu. There are Jounin that can't do that. There's something vital I'm missing about them all. With this kind of ability, they should have graduated long ago."

Makoto set her cup down and stood up, "You're right about that: you are missing something. Come with me and I'll show you precisely what it is." Kakashi followed as she led the way to Naruto's room and opened the door. The surprise on Kakashi's face, hidden as it was, was entirely worth it. The Study Night Nine, now Konoha's Rookie Nine were all cuddled up in Naruto's large bed like one massive huddle of puppies.

Naruto was curled up like a fox, her back pressed to Ino's, face buried between Sasuke's shoulders as she used his back for a pillow, the Uchiha's hand wrapped securely around her ankle. Ino and Sakura were curled in together so that their bodies almost made a heart. Hinata had her feet pressed to the bottoms of Naruto's, face leaned into Shino's chest with Kiba on the other side, twitching and muttering in his sleep with Akamaru right next to him doing the same. Shikamaru had started out with his arms crossed and leaned against the headboard- until Naruto had grabbed his leg and pulled him down; he still had his arms crossed, his shirt bunched up around his chest. Chouji sprawled out, head resting on Shino's thigh, one hand on Ino's shoulder and the other on an unopened bag of chips.

Makoto pulled the gaping Jounin away and closed the door, " _That_ 's what you're missing, Kakashi. You aren't dealing with three ambiguously talented students, you've come up against three crafty children who have the entirety of Konoha's most brilliant of the generation to fall back on. Every stupid or impossible thing that Naruto or Kiba suggest, which adults would simply ignore, find fertile ground in the minds of the geniuses and prodigies of the generation. When Naruto complains about having lots of chakra but no control, and Sakura complains about the opposite, and Kiba suggests sharing it to fix the problem, Shikamaru and Sasuke listen, Hinata offers to watch and help, Ino adds in parts of theory she's heard practicing Yamanaka techniques, Shino and his Kikaichu provide safety to suck out the chakra before it reacts dangerously...

"What you have is not three students, but one-third of a unit already at least four years strong. Take a look, that in there is the Will of Fire, that is what it really is to be Leaf Shinobi."

Kakashi was silent as they returned and sat at the table again. Makoto watched as his shoulders began shaking, subtly at first, then harder, until he eventually fell back laughing. It took several minutes for him to get control of himself, and when he did, he had to wipe a tear of mirth from his eye, "How did you do it, Makoto-sama?"

She lifted her cup once again and smiled into it, "I did nothing but impart my daughters with what it is to be Leaf-Nin. The Yamanaka value our bonds and friendships higher than all else. I introduced my children to those of my friends, but then I simply sat back and let Naruto's natural charisma lead the way. Naruto wouldn't let Sakura and Ino abandon their friendship, and now, years later, it is stronger than ever. When the Uchiha massacre happened, Sasuke was here, and Naruto didn't let him pull away from his friends in the wake of his loss. She dragged him to every Study Night bodily until he began coming on his own again."

Kakashi nodded and smiled behind his mask, "So then, tell me about this new variation of the Replacement Jutsu."

Makoto smirked at him, "Well, I can only tell you what I heard about it second-hand." When he motioned her to go on, she began.

* * *

 _It was Sakura who first brought it up in one of their Study Sessions: "Is it possible to use a Replacement Jutsu with something that isn't the user?"_

 _Everyone else stopped, and, as a group, looked towards first Shikamaru, then Sasuke. Shika blinked, then tilted his head and said something that would have shocked any adult in hearing range: "I don't know."_

 _Heads immediately swung towards Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't flinch at being the center of their stares like he had when he first started coming to Study Night. He closed his eyes, obviously rifling through the storage scroll that was his mind. When he finally blinked open his eyes, it was with hesitation, "I'm... not sure. I've never heard of anything like that before."_

 _"Where did you even come up with it, Sakura?"_

 _The pinkette_ _ **did**_ _shift uncomfortably as everyone looked at her, "Well... it just came to me. It's just a thought, but... The basis of a Substitution is for a shinobi to swap their body with another person or thing, to get away from a situation. So I just thought... would it be possible to switch_ _ **something**_ _with_ _ **something else**_ _instead of the person-to-something, in order to get someone or something away from a situation. ...Am I making any sense?"_

 _Ino nodded, "Yeah, I get it. Like, if a shinobi could swap a scroll from their target without having to sacrifice themself for the Jutsu." She glanced around the room, "So you'd want us to be able to, say, swap that flower vase, there, with... the picture on the dresser over there, from here, without us having to swap places with either or both of them, right?"_

 _Sakura nodded, "Exactly." She paused, "...So is it even possible?"_

 _Naruto, of course, was the one to put it in perspective for them, with a huge grin, "Well it's certainly not_ _ **impossible**_ _if we manage to do it~"_

* * *

Kakashi's eye widened, "They wanted to do it to prove that it wasn't impossible?"

"Not exactly. They had a reason for creating it, they just didn't know it was impossible because they rely so much on each other that they never told an adult, who would have said it couldn't be done. And because they didn't know it couldn't be done, they tried until they did it."

* * *

 _It was Hinata that helped figure out what the problem was. "Th-the chakra is wrong." Everyone, sweaty and tired from failure, looked her way. Naruto urged her on, though, and she swallowed nervously, "W-when someone uses the Replacement, they're swapping with something that has their chakra s-signature on it already."_

 _Sakura smacked her forehead, "Of course! That's why people raise rabbits and carry scrolls with logs in them. No one just swaps with something around them, it has to be familiar."_

 _Ino crossed her arms and blinked, "So... it really is impossible?"_

 _Shikamaru sighed, "She didn't say that. She said we need a way to charge the thing with our chakra so it becomes 'familiar'."_

 _Naruto looked down at her hands, then over at her sister and to the vase and picture in question. The vase was Ino's -Naruto had never touched it before- and the picture was Naru's -Ino had long since learned the hard way to never rearrange her sister's interior decorating- so they should both only have their own charka on the items. But... Naruto knew Ino's chakra, and Ino knew Naruto's, thanks to the training they'd both gotten from Kaachan in Kino ways._

* * *

"I would not normally be so lenient about sharing of Clan teachings and practices, but these children have been under my roof nearly every week for years. I've fed them, tended their scrapes and injuries, been the adult to which they've run when they needed advice while here. They're practically family as it is."

"Sounds like a very... unique, dichotomy."

The brunette Jounin smiled at him, "Oh, it is. It very much is. And if you're brave enough to stay through breakfast, you'll get a uniquely intimate view of it that may help your training methods for your team."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly impose like that and invite myself to a meal."

"You misheard me. We're very informal here. It is not about you imposing yourself on us, it's you being brave enough to withstand the natural imposition the children are."

"They _are_ children?"

Makoto stood, "They are nine genius Genin that you yourself have already been impressed by. I leave it to you to decide. I must start breakfast."

Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of that offer as his hostess retreated. He shrugged and lifted his cup. Surely they weren't that bad. He could handle being around his team and their friends for a free meal.

Kakashi wondered if he could still make a clean getaway as the children began to wake up minutes later.

"Oh my god! Sasuke, you drooled on me! Groooooosss!"

It was only thanks to his superior hearing that Kakashi was able to make out Sasuke's reply: "Hn. Uchiha don't drool."

"LIAR!" Kakashi could so vividly imagine the accusing finger Naruto pointed at her team mate, "One of those things is false, so which is it?! Either you aren't lying or you aren't an Uchiha!"

There was a moment of (blessed!) silence, "...Uh, Naru..."

"Yeah, I know what I said, shut up."

"Dobe."

"Teme! I said shut up! I _know_ , I know: 'Open foot, insert mouth.' " Another beat, "Shut up. I _swear_ -"

"Frequently."

"HIYA!"

There was a loud _'thud!'_ followed by a shout, "TROUBLESOME!" By what could only be the latest generation of Nara- with far more enthusiasm than Kakashi was familiar with. "Will you kindly _get off of me_?!"

"...Where did you come from, Shika?"

"How did you not notice him ducking?!"

"Naru! SHUT UP! It's too early!"

"Come on, Neechan, we're ninja now; get used to it."

"Get used to _this_!"

Kakashi watched in a mixture of amusement and horror as Sasuke Uchiha ducked from the room like he was sneaking below the notice of an A-Rank Missing-Nin. His opinion was revised as Naruto ran out and ducked behind him- blatantly using her team mate for cover as a pillow flew from the room behind her with enough force that, when it hit the living room table, it _exploded_ and sent feathers everywhere.

Naruto peeked over Sasuke's back towards the doorway. She quickly put her hands into the Cross Seal and made a six-man squad of Shadow Clones silently. She then had half of them transform into pillows and pointed dramatically to the room, "Second Wave, ATTACK!"

The clones ran back into the room. Kakashi stared in wonder. He, honestly, could not have moved if his life depended on it. He watched, astonished, as Sasuke -whom Naruto had apparently tried to tackle to the ground less than five minutes prior- worked in perfect silent camaraderie with Naruto and strung ninja wire across the door way near the bottom.

The sounds of Shadow Clones exploding came from the other room which quickly filled with smoke that even billowed back out into the living room. Then there was a shout of: "Byakugan!"

Naruto crafted another pair of clones to stand just outside and to the right of the doorway, armed with pillows.

Kakashi started and tore his gaze away from the chaos to see Shino Aburame calmly sit at the table. He blinked and glanced back over at Naruto and Sasuke's traps, "How...?"

"I climbed out the window and went around."

His attention was dragged back to the show as Kiba attempted to run from the room- tripping spectacularly on the ninja wire. The clones diverted imminent disaster: one going into a slide to put the pillow out for Kiba to face-plant in and saving him from a nasty collision with the floor, the other jumping up and catching the small dog that had been on Kiba's head and been sent flying from the momentum.

The wire was pulled from its anchoring points, but Kiba grabbed the pillow and rolled to the side, immediately sitting up and going to work unwrapping it from his ankles. The pillowless clone dispelled itself, creating more smoke cover, and Kakashi got to see Sasuke, the prideful Uchiha (that didn't drool), armed with the pillow that had caught Akamaru as he took up the post next to the doorway. The next one coming through was in perfect position to get a pillow to the face.

And they would have, had they not (over)reacted so perfectly. Feathers exploded everywhere with a shout of: "Rotation!" Sasuke and Naruto both sent opposite directions. Byakugan active, Hinata smirked as she walked through the feather-strewn room and sat calmly next to Shino.

Shikamaru was next, trench-crawling out of the room, eyes warily flicking to Naruto and Sasuke's groaning forms. He was not able to avoid the pillow to the head that Kiba threw, finally free of the wire.

Sakura and Ino ran from the room, both armed with pillows, and Shikamaru sighed before disappearing in a poof of smoke, a sharp yelp sounding as he Substituted with Kiba just in time for the Inuzuka to take the brunt of the twin hits with a great 'FWUP' of sound.

Kiba was visibly dizzy when both girls pulled their fluffy weapons of hell away with confused looks, shaking his head so hard Kakashi was certain he heard the boy's brain rattle inside his skull from a room away. Shikamaru gave a small, closed-eyed, satisfied smirk as he walked across the threshold to the dining room (home base?) and sat down across from Hinata with a nod Shino's way.

Kiba scowled as Akamaru barked from between his team mates. He shot forward and let out a strangled sound as a length of ninja wire caught him across the chest, his feet going out from under him and his head connecting solidly with the wooden floor.

Naruto, Sasuke, Ino, and Sakura all stood above him, armed to the teeth with pillows and evil grins. The animalistic teen curled up in a ball, "Uncle! Uncle!"

The quartet, robbed of their surrendering prey, eyed each other warily. Naruto and Sasuke both dropped and kicked out for Ino and Sakura's legs at the same time. The kunoichi jumped over it perfectly and came down with a new fountain of feathers on their targets- which dispersed with twin poofs of smoke.

The real Sasuke and Naruto waved -well, Naruto waved- from their positions on the opposite side of the table, Sasuke smirking victoriously and Naruto beaming happily. Chouji was the last one to emerge- and Kakashi saw the reason for his lack of rush as he munched from a bag of chips.

Naruto made a couple clones that started cleaning up the mess of real feathers that hadn't poofed away like her transformed clones had.

Ino sat down with a huff that turned into an enormous yawn, "Morning..."

Sakura sat next to her, and Ino immediately put her to use as a personal pillow, resting her head on Sakura's shoulder. Other calls of 'morning' sounded out around the table, intermixed with grunts from the less sociable teens, and mere nods from Sasuke and Shino.

Naruto yawned massively and thumped her head onto Sasuke's shoulder. He gave her an irritated look before shrugging her off so her head hit the table. She turned just enough to pin him with a storm blue glare and they spent the next two minutes solid holding a staring contest before the Uchiha finally huffed and looked away. Naruto grinned and sat up, nudging closer to him. He ignored her staunchly, which only made the blonde wiggle closer until they were pressed tightly together and try to tickle him with her elbow.

Kakashi was shocked to see the dark-haired boy's lips twitching as he obviously fought a smile. Naruto apparently considered that enough of a victory and finally turned away to the rest of the group with a grin, "So what happened to everyone else yesterday?"

Ino looked away, "I don't want to think about it. Shikamaru! You tell."

The dark-haired boy heaved a great sigh, "We were all wrong. None of our guesses were anywhere close to the true mark. The test was about working together, but not in the showing of our clan techniques, just in team work itself."

Naruto pushed up from the table and every eye turned to her, "Wait! You mean... we didn't _have_ to beat Kakashi-sensei to pass?!" She turned to the Jounin at the table and all the others' gazes followed loyally.

Kakashi eye-smiled at them, "That's right. The key to passing was teamwork. You didn't have to beat me, and you didn't have to get the bells. Though I really was quite impressed with the effort."

Naruto fell back completely and plunged her hands into her hair, "Aaaargh! What a waste of effort! We came up with all those plans and all we had to do was show that we worked together?!" This was why she hated school so much! She sat up and huffed, leaning heavily into Sasuke's side, "So did everyone else cheat to get the bells, too?"

Ino blinked, "What bells?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Asuma tied me, Ino, and Choiji together by our arms and legs and then ordered us to beat him."

Kiba scowled, "You guys had it easy. Kurenai-sensei used this smog-stuff on Akamaru an' me, this special blindfold for Hinata, and this Aburame-approved stuff on Shino to make his Kikaichu useless and then ordered us to track her down and score a hit."

"What was that about b-bells, Naruto-chan?" Hinata asked.

The golden blonde wove her fingers together behind her head and closed her eyes as she leaned back, "Ah, he had two bells and ordered us to take them from him. We each tried, thinking it was a mission about trying to obtain the objective when enemies were aiming for the same goal. We all got our asses kicked. Then we decided we were gonna get the bells, rules or not, and attacked together." Her smile took up most of her face, "We beat 'im, too~"

Kakashi sweatdropped, "Naruto... surely you realize I wasn't fighting at my best since I was just testing you guys."

She flapped her hand at him nonchalantly, "Yeah, yeah, we know all about your Ninken, Kakashi-sensei. We had plans for them, too, but you never brought them out."

The Jounin went rigid, "You what? How do you know about them?"

One storm blue eye opened and she grinned at him, "I really don't feel like telling you that."

Okay, he kind of deserved that after the brush-off he'd given his team during introductions...

Ino facepalmed at her sister's disrespect, Kiba snickered, and Shikamaru just sighed. But Kakashi didn't miss the smirk on Sasuke's lips, or how Sakura covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile.

"Naruto, I'm your Jounin sensei now, I need to know what skills you already have if I'm going to teach you more."

Her cheeks puffed out at him, both eyes opened, then she pouted and looked away, "Yeah, whatever. Kiba said he'd seen you in the Inuzuka Clinic, and Akamaru's spoken with Pakkun before." Her eyes widened and she thumped herself on the head before reaching behind her into one of her ninja pouches and pulling out a phial of black... something, and setting it on the table in front of Shino, "That's right! I completely forgot to give you your bugs back, Shino-kun. Sorry. But thanks for letting me borrow 'em."

Kakashi blinked, "Bugs?"

And Naruto's grin was back as easy as that, "Yep~! Shino let us have some chakra-modified ninja fleas to deal with your Ninken in combination with some... er, _other stuff_ we had planned."

"That's-"

"Cheating, duh. Ninja~"

He sighed, "Just what have I gotten myself into...?"

Naruto threw her arm around Sasuke and beamed at him, "Something wonderful, of course! That's a guarantee from Naruto Yamanaka, future-"

It was a chorus of nine voices that answered in perfect sync, "Hokage."

Naruto pouted at all of her friends, "You guys-"

"Suck." They answered.

Her hands once again found their way into her hair in frustration, "Gah! Stop that!"

Most of the others laughed at her, Sasuke smirking and Shino making no visible reaction due to his high-collared jacket. Makoto came back before Naruto could start up another round of excitement, setting food out on the table, and Kakashi was surprised when Naruto got up and went back into the kitchen to help her mother set out the rest of the spread.

Inoichi wasn't present, and Kakashi could understand. He'd not have been here himself if he hadn't taken on a team and been on standard duty. Naruto set out key dishes within easy reach of certain people and, softly chatting about everyday things- kunai practice, praising Hinata for finally mastering her Rotation, poking fun at Kiba and Akamaru's reactions to when she'd put the phial of fleas on the table (Kakashi noted that said container had disappeared since).

It was like one enormous family. Even Clans, usually made up of many families, rarely had such a warm and inviting atmosphere, rarely gathered like this, and he knew of no single family that had so many children as this in a single house. Even the infamously silent Sasuke Uchiha was making conversation, which _really_ surprised Kakashi, given everything he'd read about the boy in his files. But he was beginning to realize he'd better toss those files completely and build his ideas about his team on his own assessments if he was looking for anything remotely accurate.

Chouji started in with starry eyes because of some dish or another and Naruto went off on a long tangent about how it was made, showing that her mother wasn't the only one in the house that could cook. And then she and Ino got into a well-intentioned debate about what plants to use as seasoning, Naruto mentioning something about a poisonous flower that had her sister's cheeks heating and shouting about 'one time!' that Kakashi figured to be an in-joke if the golden-blonde's teasing smile was anything to judge by.

The chatter abruptly cut off when Makoto placed down the last dish and took her own place at the table. All of them clapped their hands together and lowered their heads, Kakashi doing the same, "Itadakimasu."

Even the meal itself wasn't quiet as Naruto immediately began nattering with Kiba, elbowing Sasuke in the side for verification on something she'd seen. The Uchiha grunted but nodded just the same, his eyes on his place-setting. Kakashi was blatantly shocked when Chouji reached out for something on Naruto's plate and Sasuke casually reached over past Naruto and savagely stabbed the piece of sushi in question with an extra pair of chopsticks. Chouji's hand flinched and he wisely pulled it back. Naruto, completely oblivious to the attempted pilfering and subsequent defense of her breakfast, picked up the poor impaled piece of food and pulled it off the chopsticks, pausing in her talking only long enough to chew and swallow before continuing on. She handed the utensils back to Sasuke absently.

 _Does she ever breathe?_ Kakashi reached up to pull down his mask, he got a few curious glances, but none that stayed, the teens too interested in the breakfast conversation to pay attention. Well, that wasn't the reaction he usually got. There were Jounin he had known for years that would do just about anything to see behind the mask.

He wasn't sure if he should be proud or disappointed.

Kakashi finished his meal with his usual speed and replaced his mask, noticing that the children were nearly as fast. _Do they just inhale their food?_

The more he learned, the more he questioned. "I'm curious." Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Shino looked at him- the others were too engrossed in Naruto and Kiba's argument. "None of you seemed the least bit concerned about my mask."

That apparently finally garnered Naruto's attention and the golden blonde shrugged, "Your face is yours. We've known Shino too long. I bet you even use a Genjutsu to hide your face while you eat, right?"

"I..." Kakashi cleared his throat, "I do, yes." Naruto beamed at him and went back to her argument with Kiba. He crossed his hands and sighed, "Team Seven." Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all looked at him, "Meet me at Training Ground Three as soon as you're done here."

The blonde narrowed her eyes at him, " 'as soon as we're done' done, or 'three hours from now' done?"

Kakashi chuckled at them, "I think I've learned my lesson. Besides, I wouldn't want to be covered in chalk dust or soot when we receive our first mission from the Hokage, would I?"

xxx

XXX


	10. Golden Sun - Training Begins!

Kakashi sighed as he left the house. There was little point in going to visit the rest of his team's homes. Sasuke lived alone and he doubted he'd learn anymore from Sakura's parents than he'd learned watching the girl interact with her friends. He could feel a headache building already.

He sighed as he walked away, mind working on what training would benefit each of his new, cute little Genin. Sakura would need stamina and endurance training for certain. She'd been spending the majority of her time with another girl who was going to specialize in Genjutsu, and studying, and Sakura wasn't cut out for either of those. Her chakra control was fine, and she had a good strategic mind. She needed more offensive techniques, though, she couldn't just remain support forever. Not only did she deserve better than that, but Sakura would be in severe trouble if she went up against an enemy by herself, as her spar with him had proven to a disturbing degree.

Naruto. Ohhhh, Naruto... Kakashi was going to have to dig into every single chakra control method he could find. The usual ones just weren't going to cut it for the blonde. She had a fairly good grasp of Taijutsu, and moderate planning with all her traps. One part of her file he was willing to believe was her utter inability to use Genjutsu at all, so he was going to have to teach her how to counteract others using it. Her Ninjutsu skills were scattered and haphazard: the three Academy Basics, a B-Ranked Forbidden Jutsu, and apparently several other forbidden techniques from her own clan. That was an excellent repertoire, number-wise, for a Genin, but in actual practice alone or in conjunction with her team, she needed something more. Naruto just wasn't fast enough to be able to get close with Taijutsu and then use the same method she had with Mizuki, even had she not needed the many-tiered conditions to pull it off. He'd have to think of something. He also had to learn more about the way her chakra interacted with the environment and plants the way it did; was it a Bloodline ability or something else?

Sasuke needed some rounding out. He was good for offensive, but that was _all_ he'd shown proficiency for. Kakashi couldn't be sure if he'd gotten the idea for traps on his own, or if he'd just seen Naruto setting hers and decided to stack the deck in his own favor as well. The boy of the team would need more flexibility. As well as a Jutsu or two that didn't threaten to burn the forest down. His Taijutsu was outstanding, and paired so well with Naruto's own that the two would probably rarely encounter an opponent _one_ of them wasn't suited to fight. He'd also need to work on Sakura's Taijutsu, now that he thought about it; he could combine that with her endurance training.

It would also do well to ask both Sasuke and Sakura how in the world they'd managed Nature Transformation chakra training already, though he suspected the answer lay with the rest of the 'Study Night Nine'. And he needed to speak to the other Jounin of teams Eight and Ten and then the Hokage and get those new Jutsu registered. The Hokage was bound to be extremely interested in the Advanced Replacement and- _Note to self: Ask if they've developed any other new or altered Jutsu._

To think he'd gone from never having a worthy team before to getting stuck with a group of prodigies. But he had to admit, for the first time in years, the thought of training a team made him... Excited. _This_ team could make it. ...Though he might have to reconsider his late habits if he didn't want to find himself in a trap or prank war with his entire team. Eh, he'd think about that part later.

He ran a hand through his hair. Ahhh, he needed some stress relief after dealing with his team all morning. Makoto had... not been wrong when she mentioned being brave in staying for breakfast. He decided to take a short trip to his favorite place.

* * *

"Hello, Setsuna-chan."

The dark-haired woman smiled up at him and straightened, "Kakashi-kun. Shall I have Michiru man the counter for me- so to speak?"

"Maa, I can see you're busy. Whoever has a free moment is fine. It's nothing vital."

"Then I have just the girl in mind. She's new and somewhat nervous, but I think you'll agree with me that she was meant for this. ...And she isn't hard to look at, either."

"I'm surprised you have someone available at this hour."

Setsuna turned around to the speaker tube system on the wall behind the desk, "Oh, it's no trouble at all. Rises with the dawn, that one." She opened one of the tubes, "Minako-chan, could you please come down at your earliest convenience? We have a customer interested in you."

Kakashi was startled when a sweet-but-annoyed voiced echoed right back: "It's no wonder we get mistaken for a brothel all the time when you say things like that! I'll be right down, I was just reading."

He couldn't hold back his laughter as Setsuna closed the tube and turned back to him with a wry expression. He nodded, "You're right, I like her already."

He went to sit at his usual spot at the corner table where the sunlight didn't reach in the daylight hours. The sun was just beginning to peek above the village wall and shops starting to open. The Yamanaka household really did wake earlier than anyone sane had a right to. But then again, two Jounin with years of experience with nine children running rampant about their house for at least five years- the Yamanaka could hardly be blamed for a lapse in sanity.

Kakashi's head turned at the sound of muffled cursing as his lovely healer stumbled down the stairs while wrestling with her kimono sleeve, almost tripping and falling at the bottom and barely saving herself from an ungraceful face-plant. He blinked at being met with another blue-eyed blonde with a love for the color orange. At least this one knew what moderation was, it was a beautiful pale orange, generously broken up with a white bamboo pattern, a large red bow in her hair.

The blonde stumbled but caught herself, finally pulling her arm through her kimono sleeve, and pulled long golden hair from the back of the outfit. Her hair color was deep, a true, vibrant gold, even richer than Naruto's.

The young woman -sixteen or so if Kakashi didn't miss his guess- straightened up and looked around curiously, spotting him and smiling brightly in a way that lit up the whole room and left Kakashi blinking. She was already kneeling across from him when he finished blinking away the spots in his vision, blue eyes capturing him. They were a bright blue, like the deeper part of the sky on a clear day. Not the slightest bit like either of the Yamanaka sisters: Naruto's eyes had a hint of dark gray; stone blue eyes, storm blue eyes. And Ino's were pale baby blue.

She tilted her head and smiled at him, "Welcome to the House of Internal Healing. My name is Minako and I'll be your hostess today."

"I'm Kakashi Hatake."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hatake-san."

"And you as well, Minako-san."

She waved her hand, "Oh, no need to be so formal with me."

"Then let's both agree to be casual, it's only fair."

"That sounds alright, Kakashi-san. Was there any particular reason you came in today?"

He nodded, "There was. I'm a Jounin, and I've just passed my first first team this year."

She caught on to the slight breathiness in his voice, a soft, knowing smile blooming, "Did you come here to brag, Kakashi-san, or pour out your woes?"

His head dropped, "I'm not sure myself just yet..."

Minako's laugh was beautiful, full and rich but not boisterous or grating, and her giggles as she trailed off made him want to smile. Setsuna had been absolutely right about the girl's knack for this line of work. Her blue eyes sparkled with mirth as she gained control of herself and gazed at him, "Surely they aren't so terrible, wasn't the graduation only a few days ago? Surely they can't have been so bad- yet."

He let out a theatric sigh, "You don't know the half of it, Minako-chan. The horrors, the trials!"

She giggled again, propped her chin on the back of her wrist and tilted her head inquiringly, "Please do tell me about them, then."

Kakashi nodded and eye-smiled at her, "Gladly. It all started when I went to pick them up..."

* * *

"...He's late."

Sakura grabbed the back of her jacket as she went to move, "Naruto, no..."

Her friend rounded on her, "He's our _teacher_! Is he going to freaking _teach us_ or fucking _not_?! This is a waste of time we could be spending training!"

"Naruto."

The blonde tossed a scathing glare Sasuke's way before giving in and sitting down cross-legged, "Tch, whatever. Ten minutes, teme! That's all the longer I'm waiting! I could get Kaachan to train me better than this."

"I'm hurt, Naruto." Kakashi held a hand to his chest as he appeared in a swirl of leaves. The glare she gave him was _venomous_ and her eyes glittered with blue fire, ponytails whipping around as she turned to him.

"You're _going to be_." She muttered darkly.

"Sorry, I got delayed because the sun got in my eye and made me take a wrong turn."

The three Genin exchanged doubtful looks before sighing and lining up before him. He honestly felt a little hurt that time: Minako really _had_ distracted him too long when he'd gone to see her that morning, but it was hardly his fault. It was fun to try and make her laugh, and she was interesting to talk to. She wasn't afraid to let her own thoughts be known. ...Like the disapproving frown she'd given him about being late as she'd physically shoved him out the House's door with the admonishment that she wouldn't be going anywhere and would still be there when his Genin were done training for the day.

He clapped his hands together, "Okay! Let's get started. We'll be training until noon, take a short break for lunch, then go to the Hokage for our first official mission." He put his fingers into the Cross Seal and saw the recognition flash in all three Genin's eyes. One clone led Sakura away and another took Sasuke, leaving the real Kakashi with Naruto.

* * *

Clone-Kashi pulled out several braces of weights with an eye-smile that had Sakura shrinking back, "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sakura." He replied pleasantly. His eye opened seriously, "I'm going to be blunt with you, alright?" She nodded and he went on, "Your physical skills are abysmal." She flinched. "So that's what we'll be working on for the foreseeable future. These are training weights, go ahead and put them on, then I'll teach you some Taijutsu forms. We'll go through several sets until we find one that you consider comfortable and I'll proceed to teach you more from there."

She nodded hesitantly, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

"Now, while we're working, there are some things I'd like to ask you. Such as other Jutsu you know that you didn't get the chance to show during the bell test, and I'm especially interested to hear how it is you learned several Earth Style Jutsu. You must know that Elemental Manipulation is advanced material."

She put the weights on and spoke at the same time, "That wasn't so difficult. I spend tons of time over at the Yamanaka Compound with Naruto and Ino-chan. I get along better with Ino because we share more interests, but Naruto is my friend, too. Ino's Tousan has a variable schedule so sometimes he comes home early, and that's really some of the only time she gets to spend with him, so I hang out more with Naruto and Makoto-Kaasan then. Makoto-Kaasan's mastered Earth and Lightning Transformation, and I just wasn't as interested in gardening as Naruto, so she showed me some Earth Jutsu. I'm pretty good with them, but the closest I can do to anything Lightning without it blowing up on me is the Flash Jutsu I used on you."

"That you can do any at all is very impressive, Sakura."

The pink-haired girl smiled up at him, "Thank you..."

"Have you been tested for your Chakra Affinity?"

She stood up and tapped her toes to make sure the weights rested well, "No. Ino and Naruto explained that to me a while back, but none of us have been tested. Makoto-Kaasan said that there was no point in testing children because their chakra systems weren't mature yet and the results would be contradictory and unreliable. And besides, it doesn't really matter what our affinities are if that's not the Style of Jutsu that calls to us, right?"

Kakashi blinked at her. He had never heard any student take that stance on the subject before. _What an interesting crop of Genin I've got..._

* * *

Kashi-clone 2 tilted his head, "Tell me, Sasuke, how would _you_ like to advance? I honestly have several areas you need to work on, but none of them vitally more-so than the others. Your Taijutsu is on par with Naruto's, your Ninjutsu Arsenal is numerous for a Genin, and you show enough tactical knowledge to be considered adequate in most mission situations."

"Hn. Chakra capacity. I've been training since I met Naruto to try and keep up with her."

"That... might be a problem. I'll be honest with you, Sasuke: it is likely that you could train yourself into the ground every day for the rest of your life and never have the chakra capacity that Naruto has at this moment- and you can be certain they'll only grow larger as she matures. In actuality, she's got more chakra than myself and two other Jounin combined. I don't doubt that we could improve your reserves, but you need to understand that there is virtually no hope of competing with Naruto in this area."

"I understand that. I've known her practically my whole life, I've seen how her excess reserves even cripple her. I know that I can't _beat_ her in this, but I _need_ to keep up with her. We swore an oath. Whatever extra effort I need to put forth, make no mistake: I'll make it."

Kakashi sighed, "Very well, then. We'll just have to tackle the problem from both ends. Chakra is the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy. This means that more of both those bases can increase the resultant energy: chakra. Here are training weights- and I'll advise you now to not try more than what I give you: excessive weight on the excessively young can permanently stunt growth, cause brittleness of the bones, and damage or rupture organs- all of which would significantly delay your training schedule."

The dark-haired teen nodded and started putting them on, "Understood."

"And on the other side of the equation is the spiritual, this can be done in one of several ways. Sakura has focused on the mental pursuits by expanding her knowledge. If you have a knack for studying, you could try that. Or you could go for the _spiritual_ -spiritual route, and try meditation. The calmer and more spiritually aware you are, the more energy you'll produce. Naruto probably does this unintentionally with her connection to the earth."

Kakashi got to see the very satisfying -and very confusing- spectacle of the Emotionless Uchiha facepalming, "Are you telling me the Dobe was right all these years when she was pestering me to start a garden?"

Kakashi eye-smiled at his student, "That is one way to do it. Starting a garden, raising koi fish, taking an interest in keeping your home neat and even indulging in feng-shui. Visiting the shrines of your ancestors. All of these things can help. The point is to be calm and embrace a state of tranquility. You could even do landscaping and create a calming waterfall. Any of it will work so long as you feel relaxed and open-minded in the environment."

"Hn. Anything else?"

"One other thing, yes. The final way to increase chakra reserves is much the same as increasing physical stamina: the more you use, the more you make. Every night when you get home, probably best to do it after meditation, use as much chakra as you can without passing out. Your body will tell you it's starving, and in a way that is true. You'll need to eat much more because that energy has to come from somewhere."

"Physical training, meditation, chakra draining."

"That about covers it. Now, since two-thirds of those are happening at home instead of here, we can move right on to another point you need to work on. I want you to expand your tactical thinking. This should also help with the spiritual portion of your chakra training. During the bell test you showed a great deal of aggressiveness, but when I confounded the single trap that you'd laid and countered your Taijutsu, you went immediately to the offensive and you went fan _tastically_ flamboyant. Do you _know_ the distraction and hindering techniques Sakura used?"

Eyes narrowed in obvious displeasure at being found wanting, Sasuke shook his head, "No, Sakura found those in old Academy texts and from her parents. I spent my time deep in my Clan's archives. I know of reasonable facsimiles, but I haven't focused on learning them." And that also explained how he knew Elemental Manipulation; the Uchiha were famous fire-users.

"You'll want to, then. It's never good to have only one strategy, and as satisfying as 'run in and beat them\burn them to a crisp' is, it's rarely an effective tactic."

* * *

Naruto sighed and wove her fingers together behind her head, "Let me guess: Chakra Control exercises?"

Kakashi eye-smiled at her, "Beeee-lieve it." He walked away and crooked his finger, beckoning her to follow. They stopped before the river that fed the lake of Training Ground Three, "Now, are you aware of the memory side-effect of Shadow Clones?"

"Uh..."

"That's what I thought. Have you noticed that when a Shadow Clone disperses, its memories return to you?"

"Oh, yeah! Now that you mention it. I -I mean, the real me- was asleep when I graduated and Iruka-sensei and Kaachan gave me my hitai-ate."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at that but nodded, "Exactly. Now, what this means in practice is that, with the Shadow Clone Jutsu, you can train at an exponentially greater rate than if you attempted to train on your own without it." She blinked confused storm blue eyes up at him and he sighed, "Say, for example, you needed to do a large amount of research. An entire library's worth of research. Now, if you tried to read every book on your own, it'd take you a very long time. If you had a Shadow Clone read different books than you, it'd take you half the time, and so on and so forth with ever more clones."

"...That'd give me a headache, wouldn't it? I mean, I barely remember the stuff Iruka-sensei and Ino-nee lecture me in."

"That is correct, this training style would be far less effective if you weren't a Yamanaka. But your mother assures me you're trained in mental compartmentalization."

"Yeah, that stuff- imagining my mind as a house with a bunch of rooms that hold all my different and important memories."

"Using that, you can, in a manor of speaking, 'store' your clones' memories and the information they gather for you. Much like the library analogy we used a moment ago. Instead of rifling through an entire building of excess memories and useless information, you should be able to extract the important things -pluck key books from the shelves- and discard the rest. If you weren't able to disregard all those extra memories, we'd have a very big issue."

"Huh? Why?"

"Let's say it takes you an hour to read a book. Because we have twice the Narutos reading those books might mean that the task is done in half the chronological time, but you've still got two hours of reading experience. If you weren't able to extract that information while discarding the 'time' used to learn it, it would have a negative affect on your ability to sense time. You would probably grow impatient with everyday life going too slow, because you become used to so much more sensory information at once thanks to the clones."

"That sounds... very bad."

"Agreed. This is like every other type of training: the key is moderation and wisdom. Now I'm going to ask you, and I _need_ you to answer honestly: do you think you're adept enough with your mental compartmentalization to handle this?"

"I'm not sure. I guess we won't really know until we try, right?"

Kakashi sighed, "I suppose that's the best we're going to get. Then for right now let's try only three of you."

"Got it! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Now here's the actual plan for training today: you see this river here? I want you to wade in and then flood it with your chakra. Have your clones find two other streams to copy the exercise in. Then, when you feel the water saturated with your chakra, you're going to try and move it. Sway it back and forth, hold a portion of it in place while letting the rest flow naturally, making them clash or swirl. The point of this is to become used to controlling your chakra on the large scale. As you begin to get the hang of it, we'll work on smaller and finer control."

Naruto nodded and waded out into the river, "Ready!"

* * *

Sakura's muscles were already shouting at her and every move felt like she was swimming through tar because of her new weights, forget her muscles learning any of the forms she'd spent the last three hours learning. Her arms felt like limp noodles and her legs felt like they were made of lead.

She was overheated and sweaty and her hair was sticking to her face and neck when it wasn't being a tangled mess. She couldn't be more thankful that there wasn't a mirror anywhere within viewing distance. Sakura had never realized just how out of shape she'd gotten with Ino. Not that she was 'out of shape' exactly, it was more like she didn't _have_ a shape. She had no extra fat, but neither did she have any muscles.

Kakashi-sensei was determined to whip her into a 'Kunoichi shape' if it was the last thing he did, apparently. It was a good thing her breakfast had been a while ago, because she _had_ been heaving that morning. For as strenuous as the bell test was, at least it had been over fairly quickly once it had begun, and the leg injury then hadn't allowed her to push herself to her physical limits. A blessing as it turned out, because, as she was discovering, they were down right depressing limits.

She'd never been at the top of the class in Taijutsu, but _Kami_ , Sakura had never realized how desperate her situation was! She wondered how Ino was holding up...

The constant training all morning had her feeling like she was going to go up in flame, pass out in a bout of dizziness, or throw up her toe nails by turns. Her heart had been an erratic, fluttering thing in her chest as if it were a terrified bird trying to take flight. Her face was probably the most unattractive sunburn\pass-out red. And through it all, Kakashi-sensei had toed her with his foot and told her to go through another set\kata\lap\whatever-torture-of-the-moment.

* * *

Sasuke's face twitched in that way it did when he refused to allow himself a wince. His arms and legs throbbed, and his lungs felt like they were blistered. Kakashi had set him before the lake and had him go through all his Fire Style Jutsu, then insisted on a spar- during which he'd been unable to land a significant enough hit to dispel the clone even once.

His body struggled and protested at the lack of chakra he had left, and his stomach clawed at his spine in induced hunger. He knew now what their teacher had meant when he'd warned that this kind of training would make it feel like he was starving. Also why he should do it _after_ meditating, because his tired, achy, overheated body was in no mood for 'calm tranquility'.

All he wanted was to drink about three gallons of water to soothe his parched throat, devour an entire buffet, and soak in a tub of ice-water until he fell asleep (and if he drowned, all the better; it'd mean he wouldn't have to go through it all over again).

* * *

Naruto panted. Running her chakra through moving water wasn't at _all_ the same as sinking it into the earth. She'd thought she'd get it down no problem since the Leylines essentially felt like a series of underground rivers.

What she had failed to realize was that the Leylines were _pure chakra_. She was sinking chakra into more chakra, essentially just shunting it to a greater part of her own chakra system. And it was different from using it in plants, too. Plants had immature, non-living chakra systems of their own. She flooded them with her energy and, because they didn't have an active chakra of their own, they absorbed it like water, growing and giving her control of them through the manipulation of her own energy.

Pouring her chakra into the river was _nothing_ like that. She poured it out like a massive tank of ink. She could see it saturate the water and then it was just _gone_. She had also managed to supply their lunch by killing every fish that wound up in that part of the river, their simple (but more complex than plants) chakra systems overloaded and ruptured due to her foreign chakra. She could have run electricity through the water and not killed them so quick or thoroughly. And even though she was a Kunoichi now, even though they were just fish... she still felt rather guilty about it.

Her mind was taken back to the day Kaachan had explained chakra to her and Ino.

" _Their bodies will reject incoming, strange chakra unless handled carefully. It's why being a medi-nin is so hard, because they have to learn how to 'match' their patients' chakra in order to heal them."_

She couldn't even _find_ her chakra in the river, let alone sense the _fish's_ and then match them! And that all was with only a ninth of her total chakra! She'd only had a third to begin with since splitting with her Replications, then the two Shadow Clones from what she had left. Naruto sighed, she had a loooong way to go.

* * *

They met for lunch, all sweaty -though Naruto had taken the chance to dunk herself in the river after her training- all hot, all frustrated, and all _tired._

The three of them collapsed back-to-back while Naru-clone 1 cooked up the suspiciously dead fish for them.

All three Kakashi eye-smiled down at their exhausted forms, "Eat up, my cute little Genin, we've got a mission after lunch."

The Genin in question threw their heads back with heart-felt groans, "I hate this!"

xxx

 **I'm going to level with you here. I am not going to show a bunch of training or the D-Rank missions. There are going to be times when the gang seems Mary Sue-ish, because I and my plot bunny despise writing exhaustive training scenes. They're just... pointless. You guys KNOW they'll be training and doing menial tasks, and the thought of typing all that out bores me to tears, my Plunny refuses to give me material for it.**

 **I will give you the beginning of the training so you get a taste of it, but to be perfectly honest, I'd much rather write about the fights they can have with their skills than spending hours detailing how exactly they built those skills up. If you're hoping for a training montage, this is not going to be the fic for you.**

XXX


	11. The Konoha Concordat - Bonds Unbroken

The scene in the Hokage's office that morning was as rare and unexpected as it got. A- a _crowd_ stood before the Hokage's desk, one consisting of no less than eighteen people, and that was just counting the humans.

Naruto, Ino, and Makoto Yamanaka stood boldly at the front of the crowd.

Shikamaru Nara and his father, Shikaku, were both slouched and trying not to attract attention; Chouji and Chouza Akimichi stood near by.

Tsume Inuzuka and her daughter Hana were both next to Kiba, their assorted Ninken huddled close by necessity.

Shibi Aburame and Shino were at the back of the congregation, as out of sight as they could feasibly be.

Hinata Hyuuga, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha stood alone -so to speak, as much as it was possible to be 'alone' in a the press of others around them- no adult to speak for them.

And finally, the year's three Jounin sensei lounged off to the side to round out the over-large group.

Hiruzen sighed at the headache he could already feel threatening at his temples, "To begin this with: Sakura, Hinata, why do you stand here alone?"

The pinkette inched closer to Ino, "My parents are both off on a mission, Hokage-sama."

Hinata looked like she wanted to sink into the floor when his -and several others'- eyes turned to her, "M-my father didn't d-deem this meeting imp-portant enough to c-come, Hokage-sama. I am here in my... in my capacity as Hyuuga heir."

He nodded and shuffled a few papers on his desk around, making small notations. He was disappointed, but not truly surprised, that Hiashi had decided to forsake the meeting. "Very well. Sakura, Sasuke, Hinata, if it becomes required, your Jounin sensei will stand in to speak for you as an authority as a parent might, understood?"

They were Genin: the three in question had little choice but to straighten up and nod respectfully, "Yes, sir."

He nodded back and steepled his fingers in front of him, "I have called you all here on a matter brought to my attention by your Jounin sensei. All of you come from shinobi families, but it's come to our notice that all of you have shown a consistently greater knowledge of Jutsu and techniques than others of your age group. Not the least of which is several new or altered Jutsu that you failed to come forward with after discovering."

The children stepped up away from their families and settled into a line- more or less. Naruto stood with Sasuke on one side and the huddle of her sister's team on the other, and elbowed Shikamaru in the ribs. The dark-haired Genin sighed and stepped forward a single pace, his posture as horrid as Hiruzen had been led to believe was normal, "With the utmost respect, Hokage-sama, two days ago, we weren't even Genin yet. Even if we'd have told an Academy teacher... who would have believed us? Or not claimed the credit for themselves if they had? And with even more respect, respectfully, coming from shinobi households, all of us, we didn't _have_ to tell anyone. Anything we came up with was ours by right, and the only sort of responsibility on any of us would have been to make a scroll of it for our Clan Archives." He sighed and tilted his head, "That said, we _did_ plan on coming out about it all- when we made Genin and were strong enough to be taken seriously. Which, I guess..." Shikamaru shrugged again and gave a small smirk, "Surprise, we made some Jutsu."

Hana Inuzuka facepalmed as Kiba snickered. Shikamaru's father and the Aburame settled for sighs.

"With as much respect back, young Nara." Shikamaru twitched and Hiruzen withheld a smirk of his own; he had fully noticed the excess 'respect' the young clan heir had granted him verbally without even giving him the dignity of straightening from his slouch, "You cannot rightfully claim something known by no fewer than nine children a 'Clan Secret'."

"You can if the clans in question share a treaty."

The older generation jerked in surprise, all but-

Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, "Makoto-san, you know something about this?"

The brunet Yamanaka stepped up, "I do, Hokage-sama, the children made me the executor of their treatise and concordat."

An aged brow rose, "And this wasn't seen as... unduly influential, given that two of your children were party to the... 'treaty' in question?"

She gave a half-nod in acknowledgement without admitting to any wrongdoing, "No, Hokage-sama." Her lips twitched, "With _respect_ , I was acting as consultant on Clan laws involved in being the last member of a clan before I was brought into the fold on a more official basis. And I kept my silence because the heirs to no less than six other prestigious clans asked me for it."

"Do you have a copy I may read?"

Makoto bowed her head and held out her hands, summoning a stack of scrolls from a quick-release Seal, "As a matter of fact, Hokage-sama, I foresaw that reading it would be a high priority and brought several copies." She handed him the first, then turned and passed them out to the rest of the Clan Heads present, as well as Kakashi and Kurenai as acting, replacement parents for those not present.

Hiruzen's eyes widened as he unrolled the contract. No wonder the woman had kept silent; it must have been as if a block of gold had fallen from the sky and landed in her waiting lap. What rested in his hands was one of the grandest concordats he had ever seen and he had little doubt that Makoto had been the one to help with wording and certain laws, and it truly only could have been thought up from the minds of children- very gifted children, but children nonetheless, seen through the lens of innocence.

A promise of aid against any enemy past or future for any of the treatied clans in question from all the others, barring that one of the other clans wasn't the target, and formal forgiveness for any past wrongs on the part of each of the other clans. Sharing of any Jutsu discovered that was not specifically made with the intent to be part the individual clan's style or secrets, to be defined by the clan head or heir and at least one other treatied clan, and with the specification that it not be the same one as the previous choice to prevent power plays by two clans. At the bottom was a list of Jutsu already shared with the collective and a second one of suggestions for additional techniques.

All nine children's names were signed, in their authority as clan heirs -and Hiruzen's eyes narrowed on Naruto's where she was put down as the heir to the Kino clan's holdings- and a promise that the treaty would be brought up again when they were the heads of their respective clans in the event of their parents vetoing the current one with their power as Head to override decisions made by the Heir.

This was... Hiruzen shook his head. It was insane. Thirteen-year olds (and in Naruto's case, not quite that yet), and they had made a power play against their own parents. The scroll he held in his hands, if acknowledged as valid by the adults in the room, would give each of the clans involved several dozen new Jutsu at the very least right off the bat, none the least of which would come from the truly _vast_ library of the nearly-extinct Uchiha clan, most of enormous store of Jutsu they had copied over the years kept private. And Sasuke's name, scrawled confidently at the very bottom of the document, showed how little he apparently cared about those Jutsu compared to the potential allies he could make in trade.

The Uchiha had always been somewhat feared and mistrusted in Konoha, even at the best of times, for their secretiveness and the numerous Jutsu they hoarded. One could never know just what a given Uchiha would know and could strike or counter with. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Sasuke's place as the last legal Uchiha was tenuous because of his being alone and young. If this contract was upheld, that would all change in an instant, and the nearly-extinct Uchiha would quickly become one of the strongest in the entire village for sheer manpower in allies.

He sat back in his chair, thoughtful. It was a good contract- for all involved. There were sections outlining help from the Hyuuga for training and Jutsu creation with how they were able to see chakra and systems. Help from the Aburame, to keep fleas and other harmful insects from the treatied clans' animal partners should they have them present or future, and to keep termites and other structurally damaging bugs from households- or employ them in the case where demolition was required. Meditation and inner-peace techniques were offered by the Yamanaka clan. Chakra-sealing and sharing were offered by the Kino, most prominently to the Aburame to whom there was already a previous treaty, but the basic teachings of which would be offered to those interested and would be especially useful to any hoping to practice Iryoujutsu to become Medical Ninja. Help with construction and the harder demolition beyond the Aburame's abilities was offered by the Akamichi, as well as several high-calorie, easy-to-make recipes that were vital to shinobi on missions. First consideration -after the clan itself- for ninken pups to any who felt drawn to it.

And with it all, the open-ended offer for fostering. With that clause, there would be no more Narutos in the treatied clans: those who felt left out and incapable of doing their own clan's Jutsu; they could just foster with another clan for a season, learning basic Taijutsu and lessons until they found one where they fit in. It was genius, really, because it also allowed youngsters to get out with approved clans' own children and encouraging future marriage between the clans and ensuring closer ties and fresh blood to the lines.

It was mind-boggling how thorough the scroll was. This wasn't something that had just happened in a night, it had to have been thought up and edited, added to and whittled down again, over a course of months. And while it was instinct to think 'ah, the Nara is responsible' because of the extent, only the heirs to each the clans involved could have come up with such in-depth plans for their own additions to the concordat- and that's what the document was, a highly beneficial agreement of mutual interest. Really, any of the clans that denied such a brilliant accord would have to be out of their minds or drowning in their own hatred and pride. ...It would be highly interesting to see how the Hyuuga handled this when it finally came to Hiashi's attention.

Something so grand seen through the eyes of the young to make it possible. The children saw one another as friends and allies of the highest order, and while he had no doubt about their clan fealty, they spoke and lived as a unit. Trust was implicit, which was what allowed the contract to have been stuctured as it was, because there was none of the clan posturing, pride, or old hurts getting in the way of it.

 _Well played, young ones. Very well played._ That was a promise to a great deal of power, in much the same way Konoha had been originally founded, and Hiruzen made a mental note to officially request Konohamaru and the Sarutobi clan be added to the treaty. He would likely not be in power long enough to worry about one of the clans in the concordat gathering enough power to become a threat to the Hokage, but it would be best to give his own clan a fighting chance anyway, and Konohamaru always was saying how he'd become Hokage someday. Hiruzen certainly wasn't going to do anything to sabotage that effort if it ever came to fruition.

The beauty the agreement was -almost- enough to distract Hiruzen from the reason he had originally called for the meeting. He sighed and set the scroll aside. _Never underestimate a Jounin, an Uchiha, or a Nara._ He clasped his hands together again and cleared his throat, "As... interesting as this is, it's not the reason for this meeting. You said that you did if fact intend to share these new and altered Jutsu with the village, so could you please give a list of the Jutsu in question and explain how it is they came about?"

Shikamaru looked at the rest of the Rookie Nine, but when it became apparent no one else was going to volunteer as spokesperson for the group, he sighed and his shoulders dropped just a little lower, "I guess that's me, then... Troublesome. Some of them I won't speak of, since they fall under that Clan Secrets part of the concordat, including one that Naruto and I came up with the other day. The rest I'll explain as well as I can.

"I trust I don't have to start with the Advanced Substitution since I'm sure Kakashi has given you a more than thorough report on it already."

"Once more, please, for those who weren't here to read that report."

Shikamaru glanced back over his shoulder at the adults, "It'll be easier to just explain the basic process, I'll provide a list of the Jutsu so they can be added to the Archive. One of us will come up with an idea- normally Naruto, Kiba, or Sasuke for the more insane or risky Jutsu, and Sakura or Ino for the easier, more practical kind, others are rarer. That begins the idea stage, where we'll start randomly pitching ideas and theories back and forth at each other until we come up with something that sticks, assuming the base idea isn't discarded for whatever reason. For example, turning raw earth into water for places like a desert, but we abandoned the idea when a little experimentation proved that changing one raw element into another would take more chakra than even Naruto had. Otherwise we go onward into the planning and experimentation stages. Hinata is the most help at that point, because she can see the chakra as we mold it and stop us if she sees that it's going to explode. I'm usually the one to work out the Hand Signs needed with Hinata's help on the weaving and Naruto supplying chakra and Sakura with control. Shino helps by using his insects to suck out chakra before things go awry if we managed to miss something."

"That brings us to the matter the Jounin were especially... wary, of. This sharing of chakra between you all and fusion Jutsu."

"That comes from Kino Clan teachings that Makoto-sama shared with Naruto and Ino and they shared with us. The rest of us don't have enough chakra to begin with to reach deep enough into the earth to tap the Leylines, so Naruto offered to let us use hers since she could do it."

Naruto looked away, "I don't know as many Jutsu -I never did like studying- but I've got lots of chakra to use and my friends have techniques that use lots of chakra. Seemed like a good idea."

"There was just... _one_ thing..."

Hiruzen bit the end of his pipe, "And that would be?"

Naruto squirmed, "We found out my chakra kind of... burns other people. So the others have to be careful in how they take my chakra."

Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who nodded, "It's rather like any heat: you can get used to it with enough exposure. None of us could figure out _why_ it happened- before."

Kiba snorted, "Yeah, demonic indigestion kinda answers that question."

The silence that engulfed the room was deafening as Hiruzen's pipe fell from his lips to clatter against his desk. "You-"

"Know?" Kiba shrugged, "Yeah, we _all_ know."

Ino stepped protectively in front of her sister, "We don't hide anything from each other- ever."

Did the surprises with these children never end? "And none of you think less of her for this?"

Hinata tilted her head, "Why would we? N-Naruto-chan's our friend. We've kno-known her for years..."

Hiruzen slumped back in his chair, "Is that all I need to know?"

The children -no, the young adults- traded looks and shrugs, and Naruto rubbed the back of her head, "Yeah, eh, is it okay to use other training grounds than the ones assigned to our teams? We're getting kind of tired of holding our Tag Battles in community areas or Clan land. Kaachan's always yelling at us for wrecking stuff."

"Tag Battles?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah-yeah-yeah! We've been playing Battle Tag for years- and sometimes Capture the Flag, to test and hone our awesome ninja skills! It's how we managed to beat Kakashi-sensei so easily." The Jounin in question sighed in exasperation and hung his head. Naruto ignored him and went on, "We've been itching to try it out now that we've got official teams, so can we? Can we, _pleaaase?_ " Naruto leaned forward, half across the desk, and widened her eyes pitifully at him.

He had a sudden sympathy for Kakashi's plight, "You need only requisition a certain training area or get your sensei to, Naruto-chan. Certain ones are off-limits, though, until you possess the appropriate shinobi rank or express permission from both myself and your sensei."

Naruto whooped and glomped the person closest to her, in this case, Sasuke on her right, "YEAH! WHO-HOO!"

Hiruzen shook his head and tipped his hat down, unable to hold back a smile that was echoed in one form or another by nearly every other adult in the room. It was wonderful to see Naruto surrounded by friends who knew who and what she was and not only stood by her, but considered it an asset. Such a lively and promising group, too, and Hiruzen wondered just how far and fast they would go, embracing the ideals of the Leaf and the Will of Fire as they did. He couldn't wait to see.

xxx

 **DONE! Long exposition chapter over. Hope that helped clear up some things about where and how the Genin know their new Jutsu and how close they are.**

 **I sort of planned -originally- to expound some on the Minako-Kakashi interaction and build them up more, but my bunny just wasn't biting, so there will be a one month time-skip between this and next chapter so we'll finally be onto the Wave Arc.**

XXX


	12. Dangerous Mission - the Journey to Wave

**Special thank you to Ravenclaw Slytherin, who caught a few errors last chapter and pointed them out for me.**

 **Author's Note: I've been awake since yesterday working around the house, so I'm posting this early -before midnight- instead of late -sixish\noonish- since I've only once gotten a review more than six hours after posting anyway. But you're still only getting five chapters this week. Let me know if you want the last one tomorrow or on Friday since my sleeping schedule is approaching human norms. Also: this chapter (this fic- most of my works), not Beta'd, and I'm prone to missing my own mistakes. Drop me a line if you spot any.**

 **Chapter Note: A month has passed since the last chapter. I originally intended to do exposition on the growing relationships (especially KakashiXMinako), but my bunny decided it was just done, so you'll have to settle for hints of it. This chapter's a little more like the original snap-shot-y style since I didn't want to fill it with meaningless fluff.**

* * *

"Target spotted."

"Acknowledged. Everyone in position?"

"Unit One in position."

"Unit Two in position."

"Boooorred. C'mon, let's go already!" Naruto could physically _feel_ the sweatdrop their sensei gave at her declaration.

"Team, move out!"

A minute and a half later, Naruto held the purring bundle of feline bliss her her arms, Tora the cat rubbing its face frantically against the hand waving the catnip Naruto had grown. She held their 'target' up, "Mission accomplished!"

Naruto honestly felt bad for Tora the cat as it was squashed to the Fire Daimyo's wife's... assets. _That poor thing..._

Sakura and Sasuke both winced at the blatant animal abuse as Kakashi-sensei shuffled them away. "There are quicker, less cruel ways of killing something..."

Naruto fell into step with her team as they followed their sensei back to the Hokage's office to report and pick up their next mission. She spoke in the lowest whisper, careful to make sure the Jounin couldn't hear her, "I'm not taking that poor creature back to that woman if it escapes again. Hell, I think I'll give it sanctuary in the Compound."

The other teens both nodded in sympathy.

It wasn't long before they were standing stone-faced before the Hokage and giving a brief report. He laughed at them and shuffled through some papers, "Well, let's see here. For your next mission, we have a choice of repainting-"

Naruto stepped up and pressed her hands flat against the desk, leaning forward, "Jiji, with all due respect, if we're forced to paint one more room\building\fence, I swear by Kami we're going to paint it _tie-dye_. And the next brats we're made to look after are going to be molded into little mini-me's by the time their parents get back. You know I can do that; you've seen me what I did with Konohamaru after just one day, now imagine if I got them _sooner_. And so help me, if I have to wash one more Inuzuka dog, they'll be getting the same treatment as the aforementioned room\building\fence. We are _ninja_. We've got enough of our own chores at home!"

The Hokage looked up at all of them, "Do you all feel this way?"

Sakura fidgeted in place, "With all due respect, Hokage-sama... haven't we set the record for most D-rank missions done in a single month?"

Indeed, they had. If Sarutobi hadn't reserved a few missions daily for the rest of the Genin, Naruto would have had them _all_. He could admire her -as Kakashi had praised several times- prodigious ability with Shadow Clones, it was almost cheating.

Naruto's arms came up, her hands under her chin, and her cheeks puffed out, "So help me, if you don't let us take a proper ninja mission, I'm taking _all_ the D-Ranks and requesting again until there are none _but_ proper missions!"

Kakashi bopped her on the head, "Naruto, you do not threaten the leader of the village."

She whined and rubbed the spot, "But sensei... I dare you to find even _one_ other team that's done as many missions as us!"

"The Hokage doesn't decide when you're ready for higher missions, I do." He had signed his own death warrant with those words.

In an instant, all three of his Genin were in front of him -Sasuke semi-reluctantly as Naruto held him there- and the girls both gave him the Chibi Eyes of Doom, "Pleaaaaaase, Sensei~?"

He sighed and rolled his eye, looking towards the smiling elder ninja, "Hokage-sama."

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"...Do you have any C-Rank missions for us today?"

Naruto let out a whoop as Sakura squealed, both of them hugging the hell out of their male team mate.

"Mission~ A mission~!"

Kakashi and Sarutobi both laughed at them.

"What are we doing? Where are we going?"

Sarutobi motioned with his hand and the door opened, "Your mission is to escort Tazuna-san back to the Land of Waves and protect him while he finishes construction on the bridge there."

They all turned in excitement, only to see an old man stagger through the door, sake bottle in hand, and look them over with bloodshot eyes. " _This_ is the team of 'deadly shinobi' that will be escorting me? The Silent Wall, Strawberry Shortcake, and the midget little Sun Puff there?"

Sakura's hands curled into fists next to her at the same time Naruto cracked her knuckles. It was only due to Sasuke's (reluctant) hold on the back of both his female team mates' outfits that kept the murderous Kunoichi from tearing their prospective client to shreds.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched, "Midget..." *twitch-twitch* "Little..." *twitch* "Sun Puff?! Just who the hell do you think you're calling names, you drunken old bastard?!"

"I can call you whatever I want to: I'm paying you!"

Sensing the change in the blonde, Sasuke immediately released his grip on the back of her jacket, then watched wide-eyed as Naruto _sauntered_ over to their client and leaned in close, the whisper in no way below the hearing range for trained shinobi, her voice sultry in a way only paid courtesans ever accomplished, "For the sake of this assignment, Master, we aren't whores. If you want to call us what you wish and degrade us, you need to pay for an entirely _different_ sort of 'escort' mission..."

The drunk man stumbled back, choking on his sake, "I-I-I-"

Naruto followed him the whole way, body swaying enticingly from side to side, "Until then..." Her storm blue eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and he gulped at the feel of cold steel pressed against his throat, "You will treat us like the valuable -and deadly- shinobi that you've paid for, ne?"

Kakashi's voice came out strained, "Naruto..."

She spun around, pocketing her kunai, and held her hand to the back of her head, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei~?"

Her sensei sighed, "Meet up at the Main Gate at nine. Pack enough for two weeks."

* * *

Usagi sighed as she moved through the streets, ignoring the disapproving looks and hateful glares. She reached up and wrapped one of her tails around her wrist. Maybe blonde hair and blue eyes were bad luck. For Naruto, for Usagi, for Minako. They were all three pariahs of the village, for different reasons.

Naruto for the Kyuubi, Usagi for associating with Anko, and Minako for the short-sighted misconception that the House of Internal Healing was a brothel and she was a whore. They three just couldn't catch a break ever.

Her fingers tightened. No one ever looked at them and saw _them_ , all they saw were their own thoughts. The village didn't know any of them, not the _real_ them. They didn't see them as people, even. And, Usagi realized, as much as they wanted the village to accept them, they could never be what Konoha wanted if they were themselves. Konoha would never accept Naruto _as_ Naruto. Maybe Naruto would really become Hokage, but then the village would see her as Hokage, not just _Naruto_.

Just like they didn't see Usagi as her clumsy, happy, shining self. All they saw was 'the Snake-Whore's Whore'. Like she had no right to exist outside being a satellite to Anko's own infamy. None of them saw the young girl who loved eating, who took pride in standing up for others, who tried her best even if most times it wasn't quite enough. To them, she was trash, and they tried to throw her away.

Her grip tightened again, her knuckles turning white. _You can't just throw me away._ Usagi didn't know how Minako handled it all so calmly and serenely. It got under her skin like a thorn and festered. The village saw only what they wanted in her, and wanted her to be different from that. But she _wasn't_ that to begin with!

She was a person, dammit! She was real, she existed. She had friends, family. Of her own making, yes, and- she shook her head. She had feelings. That mattered. Her feelings were her own, they didn't perfectly mimic Minako, or Naruto. She was her own person, she had become her own person. Her grip went limp and her shoulders slumped. She wanted just one moment to actually feel like it. A moment to feel real, that she existed as only herself in someone else's eyes.

She just had to hold strong. If she didn't hear them, didn't listen to the whispers and lies, they couldn't touch her. They couldn't break her as long as she knew who she was. Usagi's gaze drifted up to the sky. _Now if only I could feel it..._

Just one moment. To feel like she belonged somewhere. One moment to reach out and feel the things that others couldn't see that she _knew_ were there, to take those hopes and dreams and shape them with her own hands. Usagi didn't even realize she'd stopped in the middle of the alley and raised her hand toward the sky, reaching. She closed and brought it back down to her chest, opening it to stare at her empty palm.

They called her an airhead, that she wasn't even there half the time. And maybe... maybe they were right for once. Usagi wasn't like Minako. Minako was grounded and focused on the here\now. Usagi saw beyond that- usually to the exclusion of the same here\now her sister embraced. And she was always left feeling out of place because of it.

 _I'm real. I know I am. But am I'm not even here, am I?_ Not her, not when she felt so unattached. Like she could just lose herself in the sky and float away, never to be seen again. That would be preferable in some ways.

She jerked in place, her head whipping up as an arm settled itself comfortably around her shoulders. Anko grinned down at her, "Hey, Usa. What do you see today?"

Usagi couldn't look away from the closed burnt-amber eyes, couldn't look away from the smile Anko showed only to her and Kurenai. Anko didn't ask her to change -even when she teased her, she made sure Usagi knew she was only playing- and Anko... "Who am I to you?" Usagi grabbed the Special Jounin's shoulders urgently, "Can you see me? Am I real to you?" Anko's eyes snapped open and pinned her in place, her own hands coming up to Usagi's shoulders as she became nervous and let her own fall away. She shook her head, "Nevermind. I'm just being-"

"You're being you. Wouldn't have it any other way. You're the ditz that can't walk a flat surface without finding something to trip over, the girl that can't leave a table without fourth and fifth helpings, the airhead that sees the best in people I can't even imagine being there. And... You're my friend. That's all that matters to me."

Usagi's breath caught in her throat as Anko stared at her. She reached out with her hand, to the shining strands of light that were always around Anko, fingers caressing them, and those burnt-amber eyes closed as she trailed her fingers just above her cheek. Anko didn't care if she was a dork, if she said things that didn't make sense, didn't care that she clung to her arm to keep herself upright.

She let her hand fall away, pulled it to her chest and stared at her empty palm again. But even if she couldn't see it, she could feel it. Anko's kindness that she always denied having. Anko didn't see her as anything, anyone else but her, whoever she was.

Her eyes closed and she wiped at the moisture gathering there, unable to hold back a smile. Then she opened her eyes and stepped forward, grabbing Anko's arm and holding it tight, beaming up at the other woman, "Right. So, are we going to the dango stand again today?"

Anko looked at her- looked through her, then nodded with her own smirk, "Of course, where else?"

Usagi fell into step with the Kunoichi. This was her place: Next to Anko, next to the one that helped keep her grounded from losing herself and floating away. This was a place she had made for herself, a place where she belonged. Her grip tightened on Anko's arm just a little as her world settled into place. _I'm still here._

* * *

Naruto had never been the fast one. The attack came too quick for her to react to it, all she could do was watch as bladed chains wrapped themselves around Kakashi-sensei, attached to the two enemy ninja that had appeared from nowhere, and pulled in opposite directions. It was all she could see, and her world exploded in red.

Her body reacted without the input of her mind as it shut down, "Sakura! Burrow, now!"

She couldn't look behind her to see if her team mate listened as the enemy shinobi turned on them, eyes flicking behind her, where Tazuna and Sakura were. Half a second later, Sakura's voice rang out: "Earth Style: Twin Burial Jutsu!"

Naruto didn't have to look to know her pink-haired team mate and their client would be gone. Her body acted on instinct: she dove low to the ground and lashed out with her feet for her enemies' legs. They easily jumped over the move, reaching for her with taloned claws. Naruto pushed off with her feet, body arcing into a perfect backflip as the talons embedded themselves into the ground. She didn't think -she _couldn't_ , because if she stopped to think, she'd think about Kakashi-sensei and she _couldn't_ \- her hands automatically fell into the Cross Seal for Shadow Clone Jutsu and three other Narutos appeared with a poof of smoke.

Even five-on-one, the enemy shinobi were good, they lashed that lethal chain around and took out two of the clones in an instant, one of them struck out at a clone that jumped over the chain and came in for an aerial attack, those too-sharp claws tearing into its throat. Naruto herself faltered as she slid between them with two kunai out, aiming for the back of their legs to hamstring them. She choked as the memories flooded her mind: the bladed chain cutting through her stomach, those shining claws ripping through her neck.

Naruto's storm blue eyes widened and she rolled away as one of them tried to take advantage of her distraction, talons aimed right for her face. She hissed as she rolled, feeling the sting as they caught the back of her hand.

She jumped up as soon as she could, to see Sasuke struggling with them in her place. Sasuke _was_ the fast one, he was quick and agile, and even he was only able to keep up with them just enough to avoid their claws, but he wasn't fast enough to strike back against two enemies while dodging their every blow at the same time.

Naruto's heart pounded against her ribcage and all she could see was Sasuke slipping up and dying, just like Kakashi-sensei. Her body moved without her mind, the kunai she had in her hands leaving them without her permission, aimed for the small of their enemies' backs. One of them slid to the side to dodge the one she'd aimed for him, then blocked the one meant for his ally with his claw, turning his attention on Naruto.

Sweat slipped down the back of her neck as he focused his full attention on her. Naruto knew she couldn't take him on her own; he was just too fast for her. But with him focused on her, Sasuke _would_ be able to handle the other one. So she didn't have to _win_ , she just had to _last_.

She dropped back to the ground as his claws shot towards her, flashing through handseals on the way down. She finished them in time as she rolled away again, using the contact with the ground below as she pushed off to complete the technique, "Organic Tripwire Jutsu!"

Naruto rolled to her knees and looked up in time for her opponent to come at her again, until a root, aided by her chakra, sprang from the ground in his path. His eyes flicked down to it and he jumped over it, for a new one to spring into existence. Naruto jumped up and pulled out another kunai as she ducked under the bladed chain he whipped at her. It wasn't perfect, but it at least put them on more even footing.

Now he had to fight the environment as well as Naruto herself. Of course, Naruto had to watch out for her own traps, but since they were charged with her own chakra, they lit up like beacons in her mind. He was still blindingly fast, and it took everything in her to dodge his strikes, his claws tearing through roots with ease when they threatened to trip him.

"Naruto!"

There was no choice, no control: in reaction to her name, her head jerked around to see Sasuke with his own enemy, who'd whipped his bladed chain their direction. Her heart stuttered as, with her attention away from her fight, the back of Naruto's foot caught on the root behind her. Her eyes widened and her life flashed before her eyes as she saw her death coming at her from two directions: the lethal chain behind her, and the deadly talons in front about to bury themselves in her chest.

One image in her mind stood out among all the others, though: the moment she, Sasuke, and Sakura had completed the bell test. In her mind's eye, her chakra littered across the battlefield glowed- including what was on the claws that had blooded her. Naruto's chest felt like it was going to explode as everything slowed down and she watched the sunlight glint off the blades reaching for her. She panicked and, in her desperation, pulled off the one Jutsu every shinobi trained until it was an instinct.

A wet, stomach-churning _squelch_ seemed to echo around them all, Naruto's eyes wide in horror. She could see the evil smile on her enemy's face through his half-mask as warm wetness splattered her face. It faded into a frown, then his own eyes widened in growing realization as, on the end of his claws, it wasn't Naruto, but his own comrade surrounded by the poof of smoke that marked a Substitution Jutsu.

Naruto felt ringing in her ears as she stared at the gleaming claws coming out the back of the opposing shinobi, before the bladed chain he'd whipped towards her finished its arc and wrapped around them both, forcing his ally's claw even further through his back in a hellish display of the cost of being shinobi.

Naruto's legs gave out on her and she fell back, closing her eyes as the chain wrapped around both men's throats.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears like a drum, drowning out everything else. Naruto blinked open her eyes at a touch on her shoulder, staring unseeingly at Kakashi leaned over her. He said something, but she couldn't hear it through the ringing and she couldn't see his mouth to read his lips.

She was able to read Sasuke and Sakura's when they both knelt next to her. Sasuke reached out and shook her by the shoulders, "Naruto. Naruto!"

"Fine." she mumbled. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Fine." Sakura helped her stand upright and she staggered, the whole world tilting. Sasuke grabbed her so she wouldn't fall.

Naruto blinked as Kakashi-sensei, back from the dead, dealt with their enemies' bo- She shook her head hard, until her vision swam. "Naruto? Naruto, are you okay?"

She stared at Sakura as the pinkette fussed over her, "I'm fine. I'm fine."

"You you sure? You've got blood there."

Naruto raised a hand to where Sakura pointed, feeling the stickiness on her cheek. She pulled away and saw bright, vivid crimson covering her fingers. Her breathing hitched and the world blurred, going monochrome. All she could see was the scarlet covering her hand. Blood. It was blood. _Their_ blood. Blood from when that claw had-

Naruto's free hand clapped over her mouth and she turned away, sprinting for the bushes as she lost control of her stomach and puked. She only noticed Sakura rubbing her back for her when she finished, panting heavily. She gratefully accepted the water bottle Sakura handed her, rinsing out her mouth and spitting, then taking a long drink. She shivered as they moved back to their team mates.

Naruto was barely there, unable to follow the conversations as Kakashi-sensei grilled Tazuna about the enemy ninja. Their client took one look at her and lowered his head, telling them about the problems plaguing the Land of Waves. Naruto followed the conversation only by dint of being in the area as he spoke.

Her attention was drawn to Kakashi when he crossed his arms, "We need to make the decision of whether to continue this mission or not."

Naruto couldn't pull herself out of the stupor gripping her mind and body. All she saw was that same scene replaying again and again in her mind.

Sakura spoke while her blonde teammate was lost in thought, "Kakashi-sensei? We should turn back. We're rookies, we're not cut out for a mission like this." her gaze wandered over to Naruto's still form, "And... we need to get Naruto back to a doctor; she's hurt."

Naruto's eyes slipped down and she stared at the wound disbelievingly as the words penetrated. 'she's hurt', 'need to go back'... So it would be on her, was that it? She'd been poisoned and hadn't even noticed until she took stock of the wound. They'd turn back from the first real mission they'd been assigned because _she_ messed up and got injured. _She_ couldn't take the stress of being a shinobi, couldn't handle her first encounter with an enemy.

 _No..._

The Yamanaka clan failure, unable to complete even a simple C-Ranked mission without stumbling home in shame, undone by a little scratch on the back of her hand and the weight of her own mind.

 _No!_

She would _not_ cost them their mission, she would not return home a failure to her clan, she would not let her mother, her sister, her _village_ down! _She_ _ **wouldn't**_ **!**

 _'Poor thing, look at her. Ino-sama takes such pity on one such as she so she can keep up. Barely knows the clan studies and can't perform any of the Jutsu at all...'_

 _ **Hell**_ _no!_

Naruto's injured hand fisted and she whipped out a kunai from her belt pouch with her other one, deepening the already-bleeding cut with hard, assessing, stormy eyes. "Anti-coagulant. Numb. Tingling." She prodded farther up her arm with the kunai to test her sensitivity. It ended somewhere about half-way to her elbow. _Fast acting, but not immediately lethal: meant to take the opponent out of the fight and kill them painfully._ She tried flexing her hand and found it excessively difficult. Paralytic _._ It'd stop respiration muscles and leave the victim to suffocate, if it didn't overtake the heart first.

Naruto looked away and lifted the kunai, she licked her blood from the blade, ignoring the basic metallic taste. It tingled across her tongue, too, making it numb, but it gave her an important piece of information. It was spicy, hot and astringent, stinging like pepper juice, and her eyes lit up. _Plant-based!_ She closed her eyes as her mind grabbed hold of all the minor details, sorting through the myriad plants she knew, narrowing down closer and closer, hundreds of images and descriptions flicking through her mind's eye in a matter of seconds.

Finally, a single scene of a short, purple-edged plant against a white background. Her eyes snapped open. _Got it!_ Naruto's free hand dug into one of her back pouches and she pulled out two leaves- two still-living clippings kept healthy by seeping minor amounts of her chakra away. She crouched down, slapped them against the ground, and pumped quick, high volumes into them, rapidly excelling their growth, and her team -and client- watched wide-eyed as they sprang to life right there in the middle of the dusty road, growing to small shrubs.

One had deep, dark green leaves, hand-shaped with sharp edges, and the other wide, flat, bright green leaves. Naruto plucked two leaves from the dark one and tore them, the leaves seeping white sap instantly, and slapped it on the wound, then did the same for the cuts she'd made further up. That would help draw out the worst of the poison. With that done she chewed some of the brighter green leaves, rolling the soothing juice across her tongue. The clean, sharp, grassy taste cleared out the pepper-esque sting and tingling. Then she took off the patch on her wound and spat the poultice on, grabbing a few more leaves to chew and swallow.

Naruto could see Sakura out of the corner of her eye, looking half fascinated, half horrified, and just a bit disgusted.

She wiggled her fingers, the prickly feeling of her nerves waking up again still preferable to the numb tingle of before. Satisfied that her first-aide was sufficient, she plucked a leaf, low at the stem, from each of the plants and put them back into her pouch to replenish her store, then stood up and turned around to properly face her team, "I'm fine now, Kakashi-sensei, and fully prepared to continue on with the mission."

* * *

Trays clattered to the ground, pots of tea spilling and rolling across the floor, cups shattering as they hit the ground. Everyone's attention instantly went to Minako as she fell to her knees, screaming.

Setsuna was in front of her in an instant, "Minako!"

The sounds made them all wince. It wasn't a shout of pain, that was the sound of someone's whole world collapsing in on them. It was the sound of a heart breaking, and in this place, like no other, it was a sound others around could sympathize with.

The blonde's agony went on and on, Setsuna's presence unable to provide any kind of comfort as Minako curled in on herself, arms around her middle and her forehead nearly touching the floor. It finally trailed off into heart-wrenching sobs that shook her whole body.

"Haruka." Setsuna didn't have to look far for the tomboyish woman; she was at her shoulder in an second.

"Yeah, I got her." The sandy-haired woman leaned down and scooped Minako into her arms like she weighed nothing at all, the golden blonde emitting a pitiful whimper that had Setsuna's expression softening even further. Haruka looked to her for instructions, "Where to?"

"My bed."

She nodded and she motioned for Setsuna to lead the way. She did so, her presence moving others out of Haruka's path as those in the hall all rushed to find out the reason for the screaming. They rounded the corner that led to her office and Setsuna stopped them before the blank wall before it, reaching out to open the hidden door to her personal rooms. Haruka set the crying girl on the luxurious bed and nodded to the older woman, "I'll handle things downstairs."

"Thank you, Haruka."

" 'Course, Sets."

She didn't even wait for the sandy blonde to leave before she climbed onto the plush bedspread, sitting next to Minako's head and running her hand over the younger girl's hair. She was too locked up inside herself for any other form of comfort at the moment. "There, there. Let it out. There is no shame in tears. There is no judgment in this place."

Minako scooted closer and leaned into the touch, hiding her face against Setsuna's thigh, and cried her heart out. The older woman never let up on her gentle comfort and quiet encouragements.

Eventually, Minako's sobs broke off with a great gasp, and she finally spoke, "It h-hurts! Kami, it hurts so much! Wh-what do we do wh-when we're the one-ones who need comf-fort?"

Setsuna reached out with her other hand and grasped Minako's, "Then we get it. We are just as entitled to comfort as those for whom we are the comfort."

"He's g-gone, Sets. I saw i-it. They ki-killed hiiim!" she broke off into more sobbing and Setsuna held her tighter.

She didn't know what had happened, what Minako knew or how she did, but she didn't need to know in order to offer respite to the young woman. Minako huddled close to her and Setsuna let her pour out her sorrow. "It will be okay. Maybe not now, maybe not anytime soon. But someday, it will be okay again. And I'll be right here for you until then."

* * *

Usagi dropped to the ground in the middle of the dusty street as her legs gave out on her. _Blood_. There had been so much blood. An elite shinobi, a Jounin, killed in an instant, his life snuffed out in a single quick attack.

All that power, all that skill, putting three Genin in the ground like it was nothing. All that Kakashi had been- gone. Usagi wrapped her arms around herself as her entire body shook from reaction. She swallowed roughly and panted, her body still twitching in phantom reaction to having her stomach slit open -twice- and her throat torn out. That had been what it was like for the Jounin: those blades ripping through his insides in a bloody display of power.

She leaned over as her stomach heaved, clapping a hand over her mouth and staring at the ground with unseeing eyes. The shivers started at her spine and spread out from there, overtaking her whole frame. The fingers of her right hand dug into her bicep through her pink jacket as she tried -and failed- again and again to get control of herself. Her breathing trembled through her nose, not trusting her mouth with the way her stomach continued to cramp and twist.

"Usagi?!" It took several seconds for her to register the form kneeling in front of her with hands on her shoulders was a familiar one. Anko leaned closer, "What happened?"

She carefully lowered her hand from her mouth, curling her nails into the palm of her hand and unable to look into the concerned burnt-amber eyes. It wasn't even her own memory. Did she have any right to act like this? She didn't even know Kakashi; not like Naruto, not like Minako. They had a reason, a right, to be so upset, she didn't. What was wrong with her? It was, _she_ was-

"Pathetic..."

"What?"

Her hold on herself tightened, the fingers of her right gripped her arm so hard she could feel the bruises forming under them, her nails gouging bloody crescents into her palm, "Pathetic. I'm so pathetic. Look at me, weak and trembling in the middle of the street. How can you stand to be around me? I talk and talk, but what can I really do? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Kami, I disgust myself. Weak, so damn weak." Her eyes slammed shut on tears, "I couldn't do a damn thing!"

A crack resounded across the street and Usagi gasped, her cheek flaring in hot pain, her head jerking to the side from the force of the slap. It felt like slow motion as she turned back to Anko, crystal blue eyes widening in shock at seeing tears in the powerful kunoichi's eyes. "Stop it. If you're too weak, then get stronger! Don't sit there and cry about your weakness, don't give yourself excuses. There will always be excuses to give, ignore them and continue on."

Something shifted between them in that moment, and Usagi saw Anko in a new light. Not as the self-confident, empowered kunoichi she'd made herself, but as the scared, tormented girl Konoha had turned its back on and vowed to show them all that she had been. She nodded and pushed herself up on shaky legs, Anko holding out a hand in case they gave out on her again. Crystal blue eyes closed for a moment, and opened again, lit from within with a newborn determination.

Usagi reached out and caught Anko's sleeve, looking up into her eyes, "Help me. Help me make myself stronger so it doesn't happen again."

Anko nodded and pulled her up the rest of the way, letting Usa lean against her as her tremors began to trail off, "Yeah, I'll be here."

xxx

 **For those confused: because the Replications are more 'real' than regular Shadow Clones, when the Clones were killed, their memories went to both Minako and Usagi as well as Naru since they're both functioning as additional 'Original' Narutos.**

 **So their strong reactions were due to suddenly having memories of dying horribly and\or having someone close to them killed before their eyes.**

XXX


	13. A Different Enemy - Heart-Heavy Doubts

They stopped for the night and the team immediately set to work putting up camp; setting up a perimeter of alarms and traps. Then they all converged, Naruto piling deadfall she'd collected that Sasuke set alight with a quick Jutsu, and Sakura created a ceramic cooking pot that she and Sasuke quickly fired and cured with another set of Traveler Jutsu. Naruto pulled out a scroll for food storage and unsealed it, along with her personal pharmacopoeia that she'd been adding to the entire trip.

Theoretically (and indeed, in practice), all the Genin should and could cook- insomuch as semi-burning meat could be considered cooking, but Naruto was the only Genin of her team with actual cooking experience, so the production of meals involving open flames was left to her purview. Sakura filled the pot with water and set it halfway into the flames of the merrily burning fire, then stepped back out of Naruto's makeshift 'kitchen'.

No one spoke much, the events of the day still weighing heavily on their minds. Naruto turned to check if the water was boiling yet and stilled in place, watching the pot intensely.

"Naruto? Is something wrong?"

The blonde didn't move, "Sakura, does that pot have any flaws in it?"

The pinkette stood stock-still, "Kuso! No one move!"

Sasuke looked over from where he was keeping watch, "What happened?"

"Just... just a delay in dinner preparation. We'll handle it."

Naruto shook her head, "Actually, Sasuke, could you come here for a minute? We could use a little help. And walk softly."

They must have presented quite the sight: a full team of Genin all carefully stalking a cooking pot. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes against the light of the fire, "What do you need me to do?"

"Do you know a Jutsu to quickly and safely leech heat from something?"

He glanced from her to the water, "Yeah, I can manage something."

"Can you do it without breaking the water's surface tension?" Sasuke nodded and Naruto stepped back to give him room. A few handsigns later, he was sucking in a breath that visibly stole the heat from the air- and, Naruto assumed, the water.

When he was done, Naruto urged the others back and quickly created a Shadow Clone that approached the pot and cautiously tapped the side, creating ripples. When nothing happened, the clone turned to them with a grin and thumbs-up before dispersing. Naruto let out a sigh and moved forward again. She pulled out a kunai and made a long scratch on the inside of the container before sitting again.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

"Hn."

Even after the day they'd had, his monosyllabic response still managed to make her roll her eyes, and she turned back to her chore with a small smile.

* * *

Their client stared in his bowl with an uneasy look, "What is this?"

Naruto shrugged, stirring the pot, "It's travel porridge. Kaachan taught me how to make it. It's just cracked grains with re-hydrated meat and dried fruit."

Sakura took another bite of her own portion, "What did you use to season this, Naru?"

"A couple things, but it's probably the Coltsfoot you're really asking about. It's a useful seasoning because it has a naturally salty taste."

"Well I like it. It's good."

Sasuke looked at his oddly, "It's... odd."

Naruto twitched, "No one's forcing anyone to eat anything. By all means, whoever doesn't like dinner is free to dine on the bounty of ration bars we have."

Sasuke didn't reply- but he didn't reach for their bags, either. Naruto dug into her own bowl, barely even tasting it. It was 'odd'; savory with a mild sweetness from the berries. It wasn't common fair, but it was warm and filling- and _she_ liked it.

"Fine then, tomorrow I'll make ramen for dinner."

Sasuke and Kakashi's hands both shot out and they shouted at the same time: "No!"

She narrowed her eyes and Kakashi-sensei's hand made to the back of his neck, "What I meant was, I really do like your porridge, Naruto. It's delicious." Sasuke nodded vigorously. Agreeing with their sensei so long as it saved them all from ramen-hell.

The blonde gave them a narrowed-eye stare to assess their sincerity -Sasuke and Kakashi _sincerely_ didn't want to eat ramen morning-noon-and-night for the rest of the trip- and nodded shortly, "Kay, then." The males both gave a visible sigh of relief and when back to their meals.

"Oi, Naruto." She glanced up at her broody team mate. Sasuke didn't look at her, staring towards the pot, "What was that, earlier?"

"Sakura's cooking pot had no flaws in it when she put it on to boil, so the water went superheated." At the blank look that was as good as a question, she went on, "Superheated is when water becomes hotter than what it would take to boil, without boiling."

It was Tazuna that asked, "How do you heat something past boiling without having it boil?"

Naruto wasn't surprised he didn't know, as a civilian, and probably not much of a cook. She looked to her pink-haired friend, "Sakura?"

The pinkette's back straightened and she went into lecture mode, "For a liquid to boil, it has to be bubbling. That bubbling is for releasing heat in the form of steam. But in order for something to boil like that, there needs to be a flaw in the cookware, a scratch, a bump, something for the bubbles to start forming. With new pots, a cook will usually add a wooden skewer, chopstick, or spoon, something to help with bubble formation until the pot has acquired a flaw or two.

"Without these places for bubbles to form, the water will bypass the boiling stage without any way to release its heat, and then the first time the surface tension is disturbed, either by being jostled or adding something, the water will bubble and boil and release all its steam at once- violently. The superheated water will explode over everything around it." The silence was absolute, and Sakura wouldn't look at anyone as she stirred the fire, "We learned about such things in one of our early Kunoichi classes, as a vital infiltration and distraction tactic. Infiltrate the household or palace as simple kitchen staff, set up a flawless pot and superheat it, then walk away. Next person to disturb it sets off the trap and brings everyone running, and it's simple from that point to slip about as you'd like to accomplish whatever your mission is."

No one else spoke to break the uneasy quiet as their client realized that the children he'd hired really were the trained killers he hadn't believed at first.

* * *

"We have to come up with a plan."

Naruto and Sasuke both looked over from where they rested, staring out into the night. The blonde sat up and crossed her legs, "What do you mean?"

"Those ninja before, they were only Chuunin, and they were still so difficult. Things are only going to get harder from here on out. The enemies will all be tougher than the ones we've already faced. We need a plan on how to deal with enemy shinobi that are out of our league."

The very turn of phrase grated. 'Out of our league'... It offended Naruto's sense of pride, and she could see the tensing of Sasuke's jaw that meant he was grinding his teeth. But at the same time, none of them were stupid -okay, Naruto wasn't _book-smart_ but even she wasn't an idiot- the Chuunin had very nearly been out of their league, and Naruto and Sasuke were more physically-inclined than Sakura even after a month of Kakashi-sensei's tender mercies.

Naruto nodded reluctantly as her team sat down beside her, "Okay, so as Shika would ask: Queries and theories? What are our exact goals in a fight?"

It was Sasuke that spoke up, "We'll need different basic plans for different objectives. We _aren't_ giving up Tazuna, so his protection is the top-most priority for the immediate future. At the same time, there _are_ going to be times when we're completely outclassed; the goal then will be to hamper and escape."

Sakura hummed in acknowledgement, "Deception, just like when we faced Kakashi-sensei. He let down his guard because he thought we were focused on beating him when we were after the bells all along."

Naruto shifted in place, voice quiet, "I don't like using the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Twin pairs of eyes turned to her and she looked away, "It... hurts. When they die, their memories return to me. Maybe I'm just a coward."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror while Sasuke grimaced, "No one could be called a coward for having a distaste for dying again and again."

She shivered, "But at the same time, if it's a matter of losing you guys or a few bad memories." Her hands tightened on her ankles, "I'll use it without hesitation. So... So add the Shadow Clone Jutsu to whatever plans we come up with, because according to the others, there's no way to distinguish between a Shadow Clone and the caster. And no way to tell between a Henshin-Transformed Shadow Clone and the original target. Henshin is semi-permanent, more so than the Clones themselves, so even if the Clone is killed, it'll just poof away while still maintaining the Henshin. The worst that can happen is the enemy assuming we can all use Shadow Clones."

Sakura took one of Naruto's hands and squeezed reassuringly, giving her a comforting smile, "That's a good idea, Naru, and thank you."

The blonde smiled back, "Hey, I'm willing to die for my friends- as many times as it takes."

Sasuke wasn't one to initiate physical interaction, it had taken Naruto years just to train him to tolerate when _she_ started it, but he nodded at her and touched his knee to hers, "We shouldn't underestimate the usefulness of the Academy Basic Jutsu. The simpler it is, the less likely the target is to notice it. A Substitution at the right moment could be life-saving, and, if used properly, disorienting. Naruto, when you flood an area with your chakra, plants suck it up like sunshine. We wouldn't even have to count on a Quick-Release Seal to bring out logs. Imagine the enemy's confusion if we Substituted, not with a simple piece of lumber, but an entire tree."

Sakura's face lit up, "We could change about the entire battlefield to our advantage. Especially with the Advanced Substitute. Pair that with a couple basic Genjutsu that you and I can do... These tactics would work for both the Protecting and the Escaping plans."

Naruto spoke up, "Hey, when you two need to do a Jutsu and we're close enough, use my chakra."

"What?" It was Sakura that asked, but Sasuke was looking at her just as questioningly.

"We're away from the village, and even though I've managed to scale back my reserves, I still have vastly more chakra than any of you, and no way to easily get rid of it. It's been a month and my control without dipping into the Leylines is still abysmal. So I've got this huge amount of chakra that I can't use to its best advantage, and you both have Jutsu that can use lots of chakra."

Sasuke looked like he'd swallowed something bitter, but he nodded, "When facing Kakashi, I used nearly all of my chakra. I wouldn't have been able to use the Grand Fireball at the end if I hadn't been drawing on your chakra for it. I've been training all month with Kakashi to push myself further, but you're right, Naruto: you still have far more than all of us- possibly combined."

"So, how are we supposed to keep Tazuna protected?" Sakura crossed her arms, "I can't just keep using Twin Burial, it's cutting our fighting effectiveness by a third. Kakashi-sensei's been teaching me more Earth Style Jutsu, I'm not just stuck on long-distance support and distraction techniques."

Naruto snapped her fingers and grinned, " _Oooh_! I just had a wicked idea!" she looked excitedly back and forth between the others, "What you two were talking about, with the Substitution Jutsu. Remember when Sasuke and I set up all those traps for Kakashi-sensei? We could make more traps and Seal them in scrolls, then bring them out and Substitute them into place at a moment's notice! With the way you two were talking about changing the land and the Genjutsu, this would work even _better_ with them!" Her smile melted away and she grumbled, "Granted, we'd have to be careful not to catch each other." She added, recalling all too well the feeling of being snared in her own trap. She didn't relish the thought of that happening again in an actual life-threatening situation.

"Our council." Blue and green eyes turned towards Sasuke, "When we had our underground war council. Sakura, couldn't you create an underground orb like that without having to be in it?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose it wouldn't be too hard, but I had to be careful even when we were attacked by the Demon Brothers earlier. The smaller the 'grave', the harder it is to detect, but it also means the smaller the oxygen supply. If we end up dead, or take too long, it'll be dooming our client to suffocating to death."

Naruto's head raised and she wiggled in excitement, "No he won't- not if you use _my_ chakra~! It should cause the same underground-blooming that it did when we were in it."

Sakura smiled at her, "Naruto, you're a genius!"

The blonde beamed at her, "Haha, thanks~!"

Sasuke crossed his arms and closed his eyes, "Don't get too impressed: you're also still an idiot."

Her expression fell to one of instant fury, "Hey!"

Sakura laughed at them both. "Okay, okay, you two. Now we've got a basic plan for protection. Let's come up with a strategy to for escape from high-level opponents."

Naruto, ever one to bounce back easily, perked right back up, "Well I know one Jutsu we absolutely _have_ to add to that list."

Hidden behind a tree with his back to the trunk and eye on their client, Kakashi smiled at his cute little Genin's teamwork.

* * *

Naruto shot up, panting harshly, the image of being a fox and her claws going through a Chuunin's chest so vibrant she could almost see the blood. Her heart pounded in her chest.

It was generally a bad idea to startle a shinobi -self-preservation being what it was- but even though Naruto jerked when a hand reached out and touched her arm, the one who did it didn't get a kunai in the hand for their trouble.

She trembled and looked over to see a dark pair of eyes she knew better than her own. "S-Sasuke?"

He nodded, "You alright?"

Her smiling mask snapped into place without a thought and she grinned at him, "Yeah, 'course, why wouldn't I be?"

His hold and expression both tightened, "Naruto."

Her mask cracked, she never had been able to lie to Sasuke. Her shoulders hunched as she pulled in on herself, "I can't stop seeing it. That Chuunin dying. All our experiences, memories... they had just as many. Mizuki called me the Kyuubi and that's- that's what I dreamed about: being the Kyuubi, killing those ninja again."

"That's what you're stuck on?"

She nodded, eyes shadowed by her hair, "How, Sasuke... How are you doing so much better? You saw the same thing I did, didn't you? You saw them, you see how I can't _stop_ it from affecting me, so how is it _not_ affecting you?" She reached out and tangled her fingers in his shirt, leaning into him, "How? How do you do it?"

Sasuke was a very private person. He didn't show anything in front of strangers, and he didn't show much in front of friends, either. Only when he was alone, only when it was just him and Naruto, did he show himself. In those rare times, he was hers and she was his and there was no room for secrets between them. Now, Sakura out like a light from taking first guard shift, their sensei and client asleep, they were alone, and Sasuke was hers again.

He let her cling to him and whispered against her hair, "Because I saw how it affected _you_. I just... focused on something else. Kakashi's not dead, you're not dead, Sakura's not dead. _I'm_ not dead, and neither is the client. Those are my only goals on this mission, and, for the moment, they're safe - _you're_ safe- and nothing else matters to me. So I guess the answer is... I'm selfish. My team is fine, you're fine, I'm fine. Those enemy shinobi just... don't matter to me. Collateral damage. And, to be honest..." Sasuke's hold tightened, his arms shaking around her, "I'm glad they're dead."

Naruto gasped, feeling Sasuke tremble against her.

"They hurt you, tried to kill you, and I'm _glad_ they're dead. I won't lose you, Naruto. I refuse to lose anyone ever again. And if anybody tries to hurt you... I'll kill them all. If anyone attempts to stand in your way, I'll cleave a path through their bodies. So don't... don't worry anymore. If you're scared, I'll protect you. And if you fear yourself and what you could become, don't; I'm monster enough for both of us."

Naruto didn't know how it happened: How she had woken up and been comforted by Sasuke, only to now be holding the shaking boy in her arms and comforting him in turn. She knew he was afraid of losing her, of losing their friends. Sasuke had gone to sleep happy and woken up with his entire family ripped from his life forever. Naruto hadn't let him stew in his loneliness, she'd dragged him out of his shell time and again, made herself the pillar on which he could lean.

And now they had somehow become each other's crutch. She couldn't bring herself to care. She stayed up, leaned back against a tree, and watched the night as Sasuke calmed down and fell asleep against her. She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled, feeling better than when she'd woken up. ...It was her turn to keep watch anyway.

xxx

 **There we gooo~ Finally some more non-chibi SasuNaru interaction. And we get to see more fully how it is I've changed Sasuke's personality flaw. When Naruto refused to let him draw back from the group after the Uchiha clan was murdered (and also since Sasuke wasn't there he didn't end up being tortured with it for three days straight... Seriously, Kishimoto, what the hell?), he's gone from an avenger to a truth seeker. And instead of denying all bonds, he's gone to the opposite extreme and grasps them all- TIGHTLY. Sasuke's world is his close friends who he's bonded with, and nothing else, and feels not the slightest guilt over the thought of killing anyone that might hurt any of them. He's determined: he's never going to lose anyone ever again, and he'll slaughter anyone that tries.**

XXX


	14. Arrival in Wave - Assassin of the Mist

The three Genin huddled close together in the boat, slowly moving towards shore through the fog. Sakura's voice was barely a whisper of sound, "This fog is thick enough to cut with a kunai. I can't see past the bow of the boat."

Naruto chewed on the inside of her cheek, "Just out of curiosity, how would you rate your blind fighting abilities?"

The pinkette stared at the bottom of the boat between them, "I thought I was good- until I went up against Kakashi-sensei. So... good enough to take on opposing Genin, probably good enough to hamper Chuunin, but I didn't pose anything but a minor annoyance to a Jounin. Anything above that and I'm dead."

"Anything above that and we're _all_ dead." Sasuke corrected.

Naruto gave him a narrow-eyed look, "You are just a bundle of sunshine, aren't you?"

"Just being realistic."

The blonde perched her chin on her fist and stared at him, "Well in the interest of being realistic, we will at least have the vengeful satisfaction of knowing our enemies' victory will be very short-lived and end in a satisfactory smear of gore at that point, ne?"

Every one of the other shinobi in the boat tensed uneasily at the mention of the Kyuubi. Sakura's shoulders dropped, "And you call _Sasuke_ depressing?"

Naruto shrugged, "Just being realistic, right?"

Sakura puffed her cheeks out at the both of them, "I think I'd really rather we were optimistic at this point, thanks."

"Okay, then. We are going to be awesome, defeat an impossible opponent against all odds, and go home the heroes of the nation, with some sort of monument to commemorate our unbelievable achievements." Naruto paused for a minute, then: "Better?"

"Much."

"The Bridge is just ahead, we're close to our destination now."

Kakashi shook his head at his team, turning to their client, "Tazuna-san, there's something we need to talk about. I need to know why there are enemy shinobi after you, otherwise I'm afraid I'm going to have to call this mission complete when we drop you off at shore."

"The man who seeks my life is a very small man who casts a very long, very deadly, shadow."

"At dusk, even a small man casts a long shadow." Sakura said sagely.

Sasuke nodded before pulling out a kunai, "Shinobi fight in the depths of night."

"There are no shadows in the darkness." Naruto finished. She glanced over at their startled client before turning back to her team mates. The reasons didn't really matter to her at this point, she'd made a vow to herself that she'd see this mission through to the end. She wasn't going to return home a failure- she'd sooner return in a casket. She didn't have the attention to focus on the past when they had future enemies to consider. "Sakura, you know any offensive Earth Style Jutsu? Earth beats Water, and given our last two enemies came from Kiri..."

"Uh, no, not exactly. Sorry, it wasn't much of a concern for me at the time. My chakra reserves are practically non-existent, learning an offensive countermeasure to Water Style techniques wasn't on the list at all. I know Earth Spikes, but it's not that much different from your root version, Naru."

Sasuke shook his head, "It's not like any of us expected to be going up against enemies like this on a C-Rank. We need to focus on what we can do, then, and perfect it."

Naruto's head snapped up, "Sakura, do you know _any_ offensive Earth Style Jutsu?"

"We just went over this, I-"

"No, I know you don't have the chakra; did you learn any of them anyway, despite knowing you wouldn't be able to use them?"

The other girl frowned at her, "I don't..." Her eyes lit up as she got it, then she shook her head, "No. But... I wonder. I bet, more chakra applied to the Earth Burrow Jutsu..."

Sasuke glowered at the bottom of the boat, "Fire Style is going to be useless in all this cloud soup."

Naruto's gaze went to the fog and the water beyond it, "Not necessarily... Kaachan always said if you couldn't make it with skill, the only choice is to compensate with power."

Sakura wasn't convinced, "That's all well and good, Naru, but if we end up going up against a too-strong opponent..."

She beamed over at the other girl comfortingly, "Hey, we didn't beat Kakashi-sensei by being stronger than him, right?"

"Did you catch that?"

The girls both looked at Sasuke, "No, what?"

"Builders have been leaving because of the attacks."

Sakura's head whipped around to their client, "Will we even have enough workers to complete the bridge?"

The weathered old man sighed, "At this point? It's hard to say."

Naruto frowned, "I can supply Shadow Clones to make up the difference. They wouldn't know any of the intricacies, but as more bodies for menial things, they'll work."

"The shore's just ahead."

They all turned forward as their destination came into sight, the land -so much as it was- beyond the stone wall completely different from the mist-filled waters they left behind them. Naruto's eyes widened and her team mates had to hold on the back of her jacket to keep her from falling out of the boat as she leaned out to better see the most amazing trees she'd ever laid eyes on.

"What kind of trees are those? I _have_ to know. Just look at them. What an outstanding root system, raising them above the water like that... Excuse me, are we at low tide?"

Sakura pointed towards the houses, "We can't be, look there. The houses would be underwater at high tide if we were."

Their escort smiled at them, "Actually, yes, we are. The houses are built on floating platforms. They raise and lower with the tide."

Naruto turned back out to the view, "Fascinating. The roots must be completely submerged at high tide, but hold the trunk and branches above the water-level at low tide." She leaned over the boat again, though not to the extent of forcing her team mates to rescue her, and stared deeply at the cerulean tide, "...I wonder at the salinity of this water." And so saying, she reached down and scooped up a palmful of water into her mouth as Sakura face-palmed.

"Naruto, you can't just do that. Who knows what impurities are in that water?"

The blonde shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I've got an iron stomach thanks to what's inside of it."

And once again the levity in the atmosphere died a swift death at the reminder that she was carrying the bane of the Leaf Village in her gut. Their escort -their smuggler- dropped them on the pier with a farewell and 'try not to end up dead' before taking off. They turned and made their way away from the port and towards the forest separating them from Tazuna's home town. Naruto moved forward, Sasuke and Sakura falling into step with her, and felt a shiver go down her spine.

 _Feels like someone just walked over my grave... Hope I don't have reason to discover where it is on this trip..._

She took a deep breath echoed by the rest of her cell, and the journey began.

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure what it was that made her stop in place. What it was that sent alarm bells ringing in her mind. It felt like... like she was being watched, watched with malicious intent. It was just like being back in the village again. So she acted on an instinct that had saved her from beatings before in the past. The kunai shot out to her left and her team was instantly on alert.

"Naruto?"

Kakashi took his cue from both Sakura and Sasuke going tense. They apparently trusted Naruto's senses, and he'd trust his Genin. He moved toward the underbrush where Naruto had tossed her blade and pushed it aside, revealing- a white rabbit.

Naruto was there in an instant, "Oh no! I'm sorry, little bunny, I'm sorry! Sakura?"

The pinkette let out a relieved sigh and knelt next to her, "It looks like it's just a little... shocked-" _or utterly petrified because it was nearly skewered_ "-but I think it'll be just fine."

They all went on instant alert when Kakashi-sensei tensed and turned away, "Everybody down!" Their bodies reacted before their minds could interfere, Genin trained to obey their Jounin superiors until it was an automatic response. Sakura and Naruto, already knelt on the ground, lowered their bodies further and braced themselves. Sasuke grabbed their client and threw them both to the ground. Kakashi crouched in place, ducking low.

They had responded just in time as an enormous, cleaver-like blade soared just over their heads before imbedding itself deeply into the trunk of a tree. They stood up and Naruto turned towards where the sword rested in the tree, forcing her breathing not to hitch at the sight of the Shinobi perched upon the handle of the blade like it was the most natural and comfortable position in the world.

Those dark eyes pinned her in place and Naruto fought off the urge to shake like a leaf in the wind. The malevolence she'd sensed like a creeping taint; it had come from _him_.

Kakashi-sensei took a step forward closer to the enemy ninja, putting himself between the shinobi and Naruto and drawing his attention, "Well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, Missing Nin from the Hidden Mist village."

"Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake, also known as Kakashi of the Sharingan- did I get that right?"

 _Sharingan? But isn't that...?_ Naruto glanced over at Sasuke, noting the slight tremble in his limbs as his ebony gaze bored into their sensei. The Uchiha bit the inside of his cheek and looked back at her, and without word or signal, Naruto knew they'd be talking about this later.

"It's a shame, huh?" Their attention was forcibly dragged back to the enemy shinobi, "But you'll have to hand over the old man."

It was part training, part instinct, that had all the Genin reacting, Naruto placing herself squarely in front of their client, Sasuke on her left and Sakura on her right.

Kakashi's smirk was visible through his mask, "I will, will I? You know what they say about being handed things you haven't worked for, right? It instills a sense of laziness and lack of work ethic."

Zabuza's caused his own bandages to move, "Far be it for us Missing Nin to be accused of lacking work ethic."

"I knew you'd see things my way." Kakashi reached up and pushed up his eye-hiding Hitai-ate, revealing a crimson orb with three tomoe.

"So that's the famous Sharingan, huh? The legendary eye that can see an opponent's technique and then copy it down to the smallest detail... I feel honored." Zabuza and his massive sword disappeared.

Naruto glanced around warily as they were engulfed in mist. _A rolling fog bank._ She hoped Sakura and Sasuke had taken their earlier talk about fighting in poor visual conditions seriously.

"As for you, Jounin, in the Assassination Unit of the Hidden Mist, we had standing orders to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our Bingo Book, it called you... 'The man who had copied over a thousand Jutsu'. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."

"Stay back and protect Tazuna, under no circumstances are you to engage Zabuza if it's at all possible to avoid, do I make myself clear?"

Their voices rose in a three-person harmony from their three-point formation around their client, "Right!"

The mist shifted enough for them to catch sight of Zabuza beyond Kakashi- _standing on the water._ Naruto wondered if that could be learned by anyone, or if it was a Kiri secret. The enemy Jounin raised one hand in the air and the other to form a Seal reminiscent of the Seal of Confrontation, "Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu." Water particles swirled up around his body and the mist thickened even further, shrouding everything in fog.

Naruto shifted, leaning back and feeling her team do the same until they touched shoulders. She had never even heard of someone being able to do that. That technique had a whole lot more refinement and power than Sakura's Sulphur Smoke Jutsu, like a finely honed blade compared to a rock. Just who were they dealing with?!

"Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi-sensei answered as if he'd read her mind, "The Ex-Leader of the Assassination Unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist, and a master of the Silent Killing technique."

Not only were they dealing with a Jounin, they were dealing with an Ex- _Commander_. Naruto tensed.

 _"I thought I was good- until I went up against Kakashi-sensei. So... good enough to take on opposing Genin, probably good enough to hamper Chuunin, but I didn't pose anything but a minor annoyance to a Jounin. Anything above that and I'm dead."_

 _"Anything above that and we're_ _ **all**_ _dead." Sasuke corrected._

Answering another question she hadn't asked, Kakashi-sensei continued on, "As the name suggests, Silent Killing happens in an instant, without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast that you pass from this life without realizing what has happened."

Naruto smiled, "Don't even realize it, huh? Well, I can think of worse ways to die."

"There you go: Always look at the bright side. If we fail, we only lose our lives."

"How can you say that?!" Sakura shouted.

Her blonde team mate grinned at her, "Take it easy, Sakura-chan. At least it's not like the fate of the village rests on us or something, right?"

It was easy to talk- Naruto found it harder to keep quiet. When she felt nervous, when she was afraid, it was natural to talk it out. She was good at talking, could convince even Shikamaru to do something he thought was stupid if she really put some effort into it. She had never liked the quiet. The sounds of the birds in the trees, the wind whistling through her garden, the household waking up; all of it was comfort. Silence was unnatural, it spoke of danger.

Mist was silent. It clouded sight, it muffled sound; Naruto hated it. Tenseness, waiting, none of that was for her. She was a Kunoichi of _doing things_. Anything: Setting traps, making plans, _talking_ ; anything but being still and silent. This wasn't her place.

"Eight points."

Sakura shook, pressing closer to her team mates, "What's that?"

"Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart."

Naruto shook her head, stilling the trembling of her hand, "Awful chatty for a master of the Silent Killing technique, isn't he?"

Zabuza's laughter echoed through the mist, "Now, which will be my kill-point?"

Naruto couldn't help it: she could not keep her mouth shut, "Really? The liver? That's such an awkward spot, tucked up into and protected by the bottom of the ribcage. Wouldn't the common iliac artery be a far better choice?"

"Naruto!" Sakura's voice cut right through the mist scoldingly, "Could you kindly stop giving the enemy tips on how best to kill us?!"

She couldn't even apologize. Maybe Sakura didn't feel it, maybe she _couldn't_ , but Naruto could. They were caught in the claws of a predator, for whom their lives meant nothing. Forgive her if she dealt with her anxiety through talking. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, "Seven points."

"Hmm?"

"Eyes, nose, throat, kidneys, groin, knees, instep." She took another breath and opened her eyes again, "You told us your points, it only seems right to return the favor. Those are mine."

Zabuza's laugh taunted them, "Oh, I like you, you're going to be _fun_ to play with, aren't you?"

They could see Kakashi-sensei's arms move from behind, but not what he did with them. There was a pulse -no, a _vortex_ \- of chakra, and the area immediately surrounding them cleared of mist as it was pushed back. Naruto stared in awe. Could she do that? Her training was progressing, could she push back the mist like that with sheer chakra? And she had some seeds of a desert scrub that could probably drink in all the mist- more-so if the mist was chakra-fed.

Something in the air changed, a feeling, a weight descending upon them all, that choked the very breath from her lungs and made her stagger back against her friends. _Wh-what is this?_ She'd felt nothing like this with the Chuunin they'd fought. That had gone too quick. This... they weren't being treated as a real threat yet, it was as that Jounin had said: he was _playing with them_.

All those years of training, gone to waste. Their tag battles, pointless. There was not a training situation possible that ever could have prepared them for this. Naruto trembled as she pressed back against her friends, her team mates. Sasuke was shaking, too, Sakura certainly no better, and Naruto hated herself just a little in that moment. She bit her cheek. _Pointless! All that training- pathetic. All that work, all those years, and I can't even... I can't move._ Her body wouldn't listen to her. She was held in place by the instinctual terror a mouse felt in the shadow of a hawk.

She glared at her hand. _Move._ Nothing changed, she stood still, trembling just as badly. _I_ _ **have**_ _to- Move!_ Her family flashed through her mind: Tousan smiling down at her and petting her hair, Ino-nee hugging her tightly and calling her sister... her mother's pained form leaning over her with a dai shuriken sticking from her back as she said she'd always love her no matter what. She couldn't let them down, she couldn't let Sakura and Sasuke down. If they didn't pull themselves together, Tazuna was going to end up dead, they were _all_ going to end up dead.

 _ **Move!**_ Her pinky finger twitched. Her hand slowly responded, inching closer to her face. "I... will not... give in!" The fleshy _crunch_ of her teeth sinking deep into her hand made her team flinch, but Sasuke took his cue from her, turning his kunai around and digging it into the upper portion of his thigh until it drew blood. Naruto couldn't turn around and see Sakura, but she smelled the pinkette's blood on the air with Sasuke's and her own. The base sensation of pain washed the paralyzing terror away.

"I'm proud of you." Kakashi eye-smiled over his shoulder at them, "Even in this situation, you guys aren't giving up, huh? Don't worry so much, though, I won't let my comrades die, that's a promise."

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Another flash of ice-water rushed through her veins. _That voice, it's coming from..._ Naruto didn't have to look behind her to know their enemy had slipped cleanly past their guard without any of them ever realizing.

Zabuza's breath nearly tickled her ear as he spoke, "It's over."

And then she felt familiar chakra wrapping around her own and a squeezing sensation she was more than experienced with. Without even a puff of smoke, she found herself Substituted with Kakashi-sensei, the sound of a blade piercing flesh sickening. Numbly, her mind continued on without her input. _Or maybe the liver isn't such an inconvenient spot after all..._ But that liquid splash, that didn't sound like blood. Naruto knew, she would never forget the sound of it pouring out to soak the ground from the day before. That couldn't be blood, it wasn't nearly viscous enough, and it didn't smell like it, either.

Naruto turned around just in time to see 'Zabuza' turn dissolve into water, the real Zabuza directly behind their teacher, "DIE!"

For the second time in as many days, Naruto watched her sensei cleaved to pieces. It barely registered, and she wondered if she was getting used to seeing the people she cared about die. Then Kakashi turned to water as well and her perception tilted dangerously.

 _"See underneath the underneath."_

 _"Trust me."_

 _"I will not let my comrades die."_

She needed to stop seeing things with her eyes alone and start trusting her team to do what they did best. Then... she would, too. Her hand slipped into one of her pouches while the Jounin were both distracted.

Kakashi appeared at Zabuza's back, a kunai held to the Mist-nin's throat, " _Now_ it's over."

Naruto was really beginning to hate that man's laughter. He chuckled gleefully, "You don't get it, do you? Your techniques are just crass imitations. I'll never be taken down by a mere copy-cat like you." And he dissolved into water.

Storm blue eyes narrowed. _Is this how annoying it is to fight me when I'm using Shadow Clones?_

Their enemy appeared behind Kakashi-sensei again and swung his zanbatou, the Leaf Jounin crouching to avoid the decapitating strike, and the sword imbedded itself deep into the ground. Zabuza wasted no time in switching his grip on the handle of his blade and using it to add momentum and force to the lightning-fast kick he landed on Kakashi's jaw, sending him flying through the air- and into the lake.

The missing-nin went after their teacher, skidding to a stop before the makibishi spikes Naruto had pulled from her pouch and scattered on the ground when Kakashi had Substituted with her.

Naruto gritted her teeth, her trap had done nothing more than slow him down- and that not by much. She was beginning to question the effectiveness of using traps at all with how much good they'd done her going up against Jounin as she had. It just wasn't as valid a tactic as she'd hoped it would be back in the Academy.

Kakashi pushed back to the surface, eyes widening on the water as Zabuza flashed next to him, standing on the surface, and ran through Hand Seals, "Water Prison Jutsu!"

"No!" That amount of panic in their sensei's voice could never be a good thing.

Again Zabuza chuckled- that part of Naruto's mind that just _would not_ shut up wondering if he forced himself to get as much entertainment out of the little things because life as a Missing-nin lacked the comforts of basic interactions like joking with one's comrades. It was bad when her inane mental chatter managed to annoy _herself_ , too. "This prison may be made of water, but it's stronger than steel. Hard to escape when you can't move around, huh?"

Naru knew her team mates would be thinking the same thing: no chance to escape or rescue him with a Substitution Jutsu, then, if the water was so saturated with his chakra. _This_ was the epitome of what Kakashi-sensei had been trying to teach her for weeks: to have such control over her own chakra when diluted into the water that she could do things like _this_. The control, the form, it showed just how enormous the gap was between even prodigious Genin and an experienced Jounin that knew what he was doing.

"So much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later, but first, your little friends will have to be eliminated." He made a half Seal with one hand, "Water Clone Jutsu."

Naruto fisted her injured hand and jumped back, her team reforming around Tazuna, "Sakura, is it even _possible_ to do Jutsu with only one hand?"

Sasuke, dour as ever, grunted from beside her, "Well he just did it, didn't he?"

The other girl's voice shook, "I-I suppose. It'd take extreme chakra control, though."

Eyes matching the color of the water encasing their teacher took in the liquid prison. _Yeah, I don't think chakra control is an issue with this guy._

"Listen!" They all turned to Kakashi, "I want you all to take Tazuna and run. So long as Zabuza has me captive here, he can't move or the Jutsu will break, and the Water Clone can't go far from the water source that spawned it. He's far too powerful for any of you! Return to the village, get back-up, that's an order!"

Naruto shook her head, "We can't do that... We can't! Shinobi who break the rules and disobey orders are scum, but those who abandon their friends and comrades are _lower_ than scum."

Zabuza laughed at them, " 'Shinobi' you say. Look at you: children shivering in terror. You put on those headbands and play at being ninja, but that's all you're doing: playing. _Real_ ninja have been on the edge between this world and the next so many times that it doesn't even faze them. Death is an old friend to _real_ ninja, every action teetering on the brink. That's what it means to be a ninja."

Naruto's eyes were hidden by her bangs, "Is it? Is that really all there is to being a shinobi? Death and slaughter? To just keep on killing until there's nothing left, until death loses its meaning... Is that what it means to be a ninja? Because if it is... then I don't want to be a ninja."

Sakura gasped, Sasuke's head whipped around to stare at her, "Naruto?"

"I saw his eyes, as he died. And I know now. All the memories I've made, all the experiences I've gone through, all the bonds I've built up over the years; they had just as many, and they're gone now. I would do whatever I have to to protect my precious people again, even if it means death. But I don't ever want to become that cold, that someone else's life ending means nothing to me." Her hand tightened around the kunai, "So, either I have to stop being a ninja-" her head raised, piercing blue eyes on Zabuza's Water Clone, "-or I'll just have to change what it means to be a ninja!"

Sakura shook her head, Sasuke smirking at his team mate. "Apathy towards death, endless power; that isn't what being a shinobi is to us. Protecting those close to you..."

"Defending those who can't stand up for themselves." Sakura continued.

"Building your dreams from the ground up with hard work and effort, with your friends and family."

All three Genin fell into a closer defensive stance, " _That_ is what being a shinobi means to me!"

Naruto's hands shot out to both of her team mates' free hands and flashed through separate seals on each side. Sakura and Sasuke's voices called out at almost the same time.

"Earth Style: Premature Burial!"

"Fire Style: Fire Surround!"

Naruto stomped her foot into the ground, hard, and the earth reacted like it was a great mud puddle, spikes -of... roots?- shooting up to try and skewer the Zabuza clone. The clone jumped back, unable to keep his eyes on the trio of Genin and the bridge builder -who disappeared below ground he knew not where- as a ring of eight large fireballs surrounded them, hiding them further. The fireballs spun quickly, turning into one grand ring of flames, then bloomed outward, swallowing everything in fire.

The Zabuza clone jumped over the rapidly expanding blaze, the heat searing even in the misted air- and burning off most of the mist as it went.

"Sakura, now!"

There was a moment of silence as the Genin obviously went through the Seals for whatever technique they were planning, then the little pinkette's voice rang out, "Earth Style: Earth Spikes!" The entire area between the young shinobi and the lake rippled like a liquid with a heavy stone dropped into it from on high. There was a rumble, then the ground exploded in movement, great earthen pillars rising up from every direction, some leaning precariously and some straight as they reached for the sky, even the shortest ones at least five yards overhead.

The small blonde's voice sounded out over the new battlefield, "Let's go wild!"

xxx

 **I am absolutely evil enough to cut the chapter off here and leave the battle part for next time~**

XXX


	15. Perilous Encounter - Clash in the Mist!

Naruto ducked as the huge head-cleaving sword swung around from out of the few swirls of mist remaining and embedded itself deep into the pillar, just above her head, and launched forward into a flurry of kicks that the opposing Jounin easily blocked before grabbing her by the arm and swinging _her_ into the pillar with a bone-breaking _crunch_. She smiled at the Water Clone and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Zabuza -or the clone- barely had time to respond as sharp root spikes emerged from the smokecover the Shadow Clone left, trying to impale him. He jumped up high and held onto one of the pillars as the smoke cleared to see that the roots had come _from_ another of the earth protrusions. The little blonde was using Shadow Clones to figure out where he was, then sending out roots that had grown inside her team mate's earth spikes. Clever.

The Clone-Zabuza's eyes narrowed as the pillars around him seemed to blur in the mist. He stepped back to the ground and hauled Kubikiribocho from the stone. He casually backhanded the pink girl that tried sneaking up on him from the pillars behind, swinging around wide with the greatsword and using all his strength to cleave through a ring of the earth spikes around him. They creaked as they slid against each other, before falling out against more of their fellows, leaving him in a ring of short stone 'stumps' and a clear area where it'd be impossible to sneak up on him from.

From the cardinal directions, he discovered, as the ground gave way below his feet in an eruption of blondes, smiling as they all reached for him. Kubikiribocho swung down into the group of clones to devastating effect and the small clearing he'd created exploded in smoke as they were forcefully dispelled. He used the sword to change his own position in midair as it embedded in the ground, spinning around to grab the black-haired brat's wrist above the kunai he'd been attempting to stab into the back of his neck.

The Water Clone ruthlessly wrenched the brat around by his arm and slammed him into the three feet of blade still sticking from the ground where Kubikiribocho was stuck. The brat's skin split cleanly in a diagonal crimson line from one shoulder to the opposite hip before there was another eruption of smoke and the sound of a split log hitting the ground resounded. He was a little too busy dealing with the above threat to notice that the few clones he hadn't taken out with the downward swing of his sword were still moving. Zabuza turned around to see the raven-brat and blonde one together in the hole the clones had made, just finishing a set of Hand Seals, "Fire Surround!"

The Zabuza clone fled into the pillar forest with the speed of a Jounin as the great wave of fire engulfed the clearing in a huge blaze of crimson flames that licked towards the sky.

"Earth Spikes!"

The pinkette's original Jutsu wasn't very refined, her 'spikes' were instead dull, nearly flat-topped pillars. Her second usage of it was not _nearly_ so amateur as the first had been, the squared-off spikes of earth jutting from the pillars locking against each other perfectly in an earthen coffin of death, conical roots shooting from the secondary spikes themselves in an inescapable cocoon. The clone wasn't above the basics as the Genin seemed to think him, easily locking onto the signature of his Kubikiribocho and Substituting with the blade to get away.

He was, however, surprised not to find himself back in the clearing he'd created, but in another part of the stone forest. He snarled behind his wrappings and spread out his senses, feeling one of the brats close by. He disappeared in a blur of speed above the unsuspecting Genin and drove his fist into the pinkette's throat with a savage _snap_ of the pest's neck, the green eyes widening in surprise even as the life faded from them.

He almost wanted to laugh at the wave of Killer Intent that came from behind him and turned around, his smile hidden behind the bandages as the blonde stepped out from behind one of the pillars. "Are you done playing, now, brat?"

"You call us fake shinobi. Well what does that make _you_ , Clone?" Deep, angry, storm-blue eyes glared up at him and she rested her hand against the closest pillar, "Die, false-ninja!"

The area around wavered and the ground gave out under him. The Zabuza clone found himself back inside the same hole the blonde's Shadow Clones had caused earlier, only now the entire thing was filled with tiny strips of paper. His eyes widened as every tiny piece of confetti lit up yellow.

* * *

The force of the explosion was enough to shake the very earth, pillars screeching as sharp shards of stone grated against each other and the surrounding spikes.

On one side of an earthen cylinder, blue eyes popped open. With a small poof of smoke, the pillar turned into Naruto and she cautiously went to inspect the ground where she'd laid her trap. The hole in the ground had evolved into a crater, roots laying exposed and smoldering, the wet ground steaming from the heat of the explosion.

She had just enough time to widen her eyes and spin around in place as she was hit, tumbling into the crater and fighting for her life as a new Zabuza attempted to get a hold of her and break her neck. He did get a grip on her left arm and his eyes spoke murder as he bore down on it in a crushing grip she had no hope to counter.

Naruto's head threw back in instinctive reaction as she felt her arm snap, her pained scream echoing through the stone forest she'd helped create, bouncing from pillar to pillar. The Water Clone reached for her exposed throat with his free hand and the ground below them erupted, a swarm of other Narutos springing up to hug him and drag her underground.

* * *

"Shit, shit, _shit_! Aaagh!"

Sakura winced in sympathy, "I'm so sorry, Naru."

She ground her teeth, "Forget it. just to be expected dealing with an enemy J-Jounin... right?"

"You can't fight like this."

"I _have_ to. Lash it to my side and let's go. Sasuke won't be able to hold him off long."

"Naruto-"

"Lash it. To. My side."

* * *

The Zabuza clone laughed as he blocked the rain of fire with Kubikiribocho, "Angry, huh? Good, hold onto that hate and come at me. Did you hear as her bones snapped in my hand? How far away were you when she screamed, boy? Did you see the way her face twisted in pain?"

Sasuke's dark eyes went cold and he blurred through his seals again, "Fire Style: Fire Surround!" The eight large fireballs didn't get the chance to spin out into a ring of fire because the Genin immediately launched into another set of Seals, "Fire Style: Fire Snake Jutsu!"

Zabuza's manic grin could be seen right through his bandages, "Water beats fire, brat." Time to show the upstarts just what a real ninja could really do. His hands moved so quick they blurred, "Water Style: Grand Geyser Jutsu!" The ground once again rumbled, but on no part due to the Genin, the underground rivers flowing below the surface responding to the Jounin's demand. The ground cracked around them under the pressure of the water below.

The black-haired brat stumbled but kept his footing as the earth finally gave way and huge geysers of water erupted, displacing stone pillars and soaking them both as it rained back down on them. The living flame the boy had been manipulating dying with a fierce, snake-like hiss as it drowned.

Zabuza's hands never stopped moving as he slid smoothly from one Jutsu to another, "Water Style: Clash of the Whirling Tides!" The already shin-deep water surged upward, waves created by his chakra crashing together and catching the brat up in their implacable hold. The dark-haired Genin gasped futilely as he was caught in the tides, opposing whirlpools forming around the Zabuza Clone, the miniature ocean he'd created easily picking up broken stone pillars and crashing them against those still standing with great cracks like thunder, the Genin crying out in pain as the force of the tides slammed him into one of the remaining pillars as well, dark eyes going wide as the broken remains of one of his own allies' stone spikes was sent on a collision course for him.

The _crunch\crack!_ of impact was highly satisfying in itself- if it hadn't been for another damnable _poof_ of smoke that was barely perceptible above it.

Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he spotted the boy on the top of one of the pillars, hacking up the water he'd swallowed. With a scowl hidden by his bandages, he held his arm out, the tides answering him and rushing toward the brat in a single grand wave. Then, at the height of its power, the wave- stopped.

The Zabuza clone frowned and tried to pull at the water. It was like digging at concrete with his bare hands. He turned around to see the blonde with her pink-haired team mate (alive?!) behind him. The small blonde's whole body glowed with the amount of chakra she put out, chakra that flooded out through all the water he'd summoned and held it unmoving, frozen in place and time.

Her eyes fairly crackled with the force of her chakra, "Yeah: I _am_ done playing. Sasuke!"

With a blur and pop of smoke, the dark-haired boy was at her side in less than a second and his left hand moved perfectly in time with her uninjured right, "Fire Style: Heat Wave!" The water surrounding them all, already saturated with the girl's chakra, began to glow white. The clone had only an instant to watch the tell-tale poof as the three Substituted away, the moment the blonde was no longer in contact with the water causing it to move- and the world exploded in steam.

* * *

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were unprepared for the sheer _power_ in their explosion, the superheated steam blasting away every pillar that was still standing- including the ones they were taking cover behind. Sakura's ears popped painfully from the percussion as she was thrown through the air. The pillar crashed down with a bone-jarring thud near by as she hit the ground and slid through a muddy slurry from her Earth Spikes and the Clone's Water Style Jutsu.

Sasuke had the wherewithal to Substitute at the last moment with the partial remains of one pillar, landing in a crouch not far from Sakura, covered head to foot in blossoming bruises and cold mud, blood trickling down his back from the diagonal cut he'd gotten earlier in the fight.

Naruto sailed through the air and hit the water with barely-diminished momentum, skating across the surface like a thrown skipping stone, sound splashes marking when she made contact with the water surface. She sank into the actual lake, not far from Kakashi and the real Zabuza, both watching what had been the shore with wide eyes.

Zabuza laughed, "Those are some Genin you've got there, Kakashi! Too bad they just weren't quite-" He cut himself off and pulled his arm from the Water Prison just in time to avoid spear-like shoots of waterweed impaling his arm from below the surface of the water.

A moment later, Naruto's blonde head popped up and she beamed even as she struggled to stay afloat with only one arm, "YATTA! Mission 'Rescue Kakashi-sensei': Complete!" The growling reigned in her excitement, Zabuza's blood dripping into the water from a shallow gash where he hadn't pulled his arm back quite fast enough to avoid all of her spears. He pulled the zanbatou from his back and moved for her, the great sword arcing down towards her head.

 _CLANG!_ Kakashi stood next to Naruto in the water, helping bolster her hold on the blocking... flower staff? "Naruto, that was very quick thinking. I applaud your team work, but I am curious..."

"The flower staff?" She asked.

"The flower staff." He confirmed.

"Did you know there are lotus flowers in this lake? They're all below, though. I think Zabuza was waiting for us here and raised the water-level of the lake before we got here. There are all sorts of good plants down there." Her gaze moved to the enemy Jounin attempting to cleave them in two, eyes closing on a foxy grin, "This staff may be made from a simple water flower, but it's stronger than steel." Saturated so completely with her chakra, the stem of the white lotus stood straight as a senbon and twice as strong. The bed of plantlife under her feet kept her from sinking deeper into the lake as she held out against the zanbatou- thanks mostly to Kakashi-sensei's strength and hold since she was still working with one arm.

Straining against the opposing force, Kakashi-sensei spared a moment to eye-smile at her, "I'm very proud of all of you."

Zabuza glared daggers at them, "I got distracted and lost my grip on the Water Prison-"

"Don't flatter yourself." Kakashi cut him off, "You were _forced_ to let go. Your technique worked on me once, but it won't work again. So... What's it gonna be?"

Sakura and Sasuke pulled themselves up and fell into defensive stances, on the watch for more clones. Zabuza's muscles tensed as he put more effort into breaking their guard. Kakashi groaned at the effort of keeping the huge blade held back while Naruto sank several inches into the water, her woven plants below not solid enough to keep her up under the extra force.

"Naruto." Kakashi's voice came out strained, "Could I... borrow this for a minute?"

She had never tried to keep up a chakra connection to plants when she was no longer touching them or the earth. She could probably manage it- maybe. If she focused hard enough. She closed her eyes to better keep the feeling of the Lotus Staff, and slowly, one by one, uncurled her fingers from it. Her hand fell away and there was no pain, so she supposed it must have been working, but she could feel the strain of keeping it up when she wasn't touching. "Sure thing." Her own voice came out rough, and low, "Hurry, please."

"I will." With a deep grunt of effort, Kakashi let the staff tilt, the zanbatou sliding down toward the flower head, then heaved the opposite direction, twisting Zabuza's wrist and forcing him to let go of the handle. Without wasting a single movement, Kakashi spun the huge blade around the staff and sent it spinning away across the lake to sink below the surface.

The staff was dropped as well as Kakashi and Zabuza both jumped back away from each other. Naruto opened her eyes with a sigh of relief when she no longer had to hold the staff and it wilted like the simple plant it was, floating upon the surface of the lake before her.

Naruto watched in awe as Kakashi and Zabuza began going through Hand Seals at the same time, "Ushi, saru, u, ne, i, tori-" She lost track after the sixth Seal, and they both _just kept going_. They flicked through the Seals almost too fast to say them, the whole sequence (she estimated some thirty-plus) taking only about fifteen seconds, twenty on the outside. They ended together: "Tori! Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Twin dragons rose up behind the opposing Jounin and twined around one another in a beautiful -and deadly- display. The serpentine bodies wrapped around each other, biting and clashing, and ultimately destroying one another in a great rush of water. Naruto yelped as the wave of the dying water-constructs swamped her and pushed her under, tumbling and rolling ways that jostled her broken arm and made her bite her lip clean through to avoid sucking in a mouthful of water.

She washed up next to the shore- or what was left of it after the fights with geysers and water dragons, and hacked up the water that had managed to work its way into her lungs despite her attempts to the contrary.

She wasn't able to hold in her yelp that time as Sasuke pulled her up out of the water by the back of her jacket. The yelp was as much due to surprise as it was _Fucking PAIN my arm is broken you bastard ow!_ She'd have throttled him if he wasn't the only thing holding her upright. She watched through watering eyes as the Jounin circled each other, "Should-" her breath was taken away by a throb from her arm, "Should we help...?"

Sakura was the one who answered, shaking her head, "We'd just get in the way."

It was a bitter truth, but they swallowed it and watched the final clash as Kakashi outmaneuvered Zabuza, "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

Sakura raised them up on a small pillar of earth that was all she could manage with her own chakra as they watched the confrontation.

xxx

 **I didn't feel the need to write anymore, since beyond this point it's basically the same as it was in canon: Zabuza losing, Masked Hunter Nin taking him out, Kakashi fainting, ect. Barring plucking Tazuna from the ground like a daisy, nothing else new, and I didn't feel like transcribing what we all already know.**

XXX


	16. Hurt In The Dark - Shine Together

**Posting this half-hour early. Don't care: too sleepy. Good night and enjoy.**

* * *

It was different when they were alone like they were. Tsunami had let them deal with themselves uncomfortably, going to check on her sleeping son while the shinobi focused on dealing with their injuries. Sakura had offered to get Kakashi-sensei settled since she was the least injured, leaving Sasuke and Naruto down in the kitchen alone to heal their own hurts as Tazuna settled in for his first night of sleep in his own bed in several weeks.

Sasuke's fingers were gentle as they helped her unlash her arm and wrestle off her jacket, and Naruto did her best to hold in her gasps and hisses as he worked. She sighed as he straightened her arm so slowly she didn't even feel it, "I hate this. What the hell have we even been doing? Training since we were seven and this is the best we can do? Pathetic. I just-" She hissed and cut herself off as her hands fisted.

Sasuke gently pried her fingers open and helped her arm relax so he could manipulate it again. "We need to train more."

Naruto ground her teeth, "But we _always_ need to train more! That's the thing, Sasuke: No matter how much better we get, there's always been someone out there even stronger. I just... what's the point? Are we... what are we even fight for here?"

His fingers tightened on her skin, not enough to hurt, but certainly enough to get her attention and show that he wasn't as unaffected as he'd seemed. Storm blue eyes turned to where he was carefully prodding her hellishly bruised arm, gently poking the bones back into their proper places before the Kyuubi's healing could kick in and force them to rebreak it. "We're fighting for each other. That's what we're fighting for: to protect each other so things like _this_ -" he lifted her arm so she couldn't ignore it, "-don't happen again. So we're strong enough that no one can take us from each other."

Naruto lowered her head, her bangs shadowing her eyes, and hid the ache she felt for Sasuke every time he mentioned that. She knew that that was his central drive: to become strong enough that no one could ever take the ones he cared about from him ever again, to become strong enough to hunt down Itachi and Shisui and beat the truth out of them about why they'd slaughtered the Uchiha clan.

Naruto had a mother and father when Sasuke didn't. She didn't get to spend much time with her father because he was a Jounin and what time he didn't spend on missions was spent with Ino because she was the clan heir and had so much to learn from him, politics and Jutsu alike. She knew what it was to yearn and to love and resent at the same time, but Naruto didn't know what it was like to have her most precious people ripped away from her. When she trained, it was to show the village that they couldn't ignore her, that they couldn't just pretend she was a dirty little secret, that she was worth more than the scorn they aimed at her for being the Kyuubi, even if she hadn't known the exact details at first.

Naruto had Makoto and Inoichi still, and she had _Ino_ still. She couldn't even begin to imagine Sasuke's pain, to imagine what it'd be like to have her parents torn away from her by her sister.

And she wouldn't... She wouldn't let Sasuke experience anything like that again. She'd protect him, give him a reason to go on, just like she had back then. They were each other's anchor, Sasuke giving her a reason to fight the village's scorn and her giving him a reason to get back to his feet and keep going. She hadn't known what it was like to have someone depend on her until Sasuke had needed her to keep himself strong, and he'd helped her become better, helped her on Taijutsu, helped her school work, helped her plan pranks, too.

Sasuke knew what it was like to have expectations placed on him just for who he was, what his name represented to the village. Sasuke knew what it was like to live in the shadow of an older sibling who could already do so much, so much that he couldn't. Sasuke knew what it was like to see that disappointment in a parent's eyes.

That's what she was fighting for. She wouldn't let Sasuke or Sakura die, she couldn't-

 _Kakashi's hand on her head as he smiled down at her, "In this world, there are people younger than you... and stronger than me."_

She couldn't let them end up like Zabuza, life snuffed out in a single instant of inattention. _I am... tired of seeing people around me die. Kakashi-sensei, the Demon Brothers, Zabuza._ Two Chuunin, two Jounin- even if Kakashi had been faking.

Naruto nodded, "Stronger. We need to get stronger." She hissed and whined when he splinted her arm so she wouldn't disrupt it too much until it healed.

Sasuke smirked at her and poked the wrapped appendage again, "You especially."

She pouted at him, "It hurts..."

"Bear it stoically like a shinobi."

"Shinobi my ass."

He stared hard at his work, "Will that work?"

Naruto tested it by flexing her hand and expertly hiding the wince, "Yeah, should. I'll be up and ready tomorrow morning."

"That soon?"

"Yeah, I mean, it's not the first time I broke my arm."

"Excuse me? When did you break your arm before? Where was I at?"

"Last year, on... well, you were busy." It wasn't Sasuke's fault the Uchiha clan massacre happened the week of her birthday. She'd always forgiven him for missing the day, they celebrated it in other ways on other days to make up for it.

"Hn."

"I got caught up with a clan elder who ordered me to move things from an old storage unit. He ordered me to not leave until it was done, and I wasn't going to let him have the satisfaction of winning, so I stayed there and did it- until a group of villagers caught me on the way to the secondary storage unit late that night. I don't think they meant to do anything much, and to be fair, it wouldn't have happened at all if I hadn't been carrying something too big and heavy for me."

Sasuke's voice was dangerously quiet, "Tell me."

"Someone threw a bottle, then more people threw bottles, then other things. I tried to back away and run, but I slipped on something and went down. The crate I was carrying fell on me wrong and cracked by forearm perfectly across the middle. My scream brought some near-by ANBU who helped me home. I pranked the ever loving hell out of the clan elder, then got in trouble for it because who the hell else is capable of sneaking around the clan compound like I can? The old bastard brought the matter before Tousan officially, but once he got the whole picture, he ordered me to sort through a different old storage unit. The one with all the scrolls from the Kino clan."

"Wait. So you pranked a clan elder, and in punishment, your father... gave you access to all the Kino clan's scrolls?"

Naruto beamed at him, "Yup~! That's where I found the Jutsu I used to beat Mizuki-sensei."

Sasuke gave a close-eyed smirk and shook his head, "Only you."

She rolled her eyes and made a twirling motion with the index finger of her good hand. Sasuke obligingly turned around and presented his back and the blood-crusted back of his shirt. He reached down with both hands to pull it over his head and she smacked him on the back of the head, "Don't even think about it!"

He grunted and glared at her over his shoulder.

She glared right back, "Don't glare at me, teme, and don't you dare rip that shirt off when it's stuck to your back with your own blood. I will kick your _ass_."

He rolled his eyes and turned back to front. She pulled close the medical supplies he'd been using to treat her and soaked a cloth with peroxide, pressing it against the back of his shirt to break down the dried blood. His shoulders twitched, "Just pull it off."

"Shut up, you masochist. Deal with it." After a half-second of silence, she added: "Stoically, like a shinobi." Only Sasuke would prefer the sensation of pain that came with ripping open a wound instead of the tickling feel of peroxide.

It only took a few minutes for her to separate the cloth from his back, enduring his grumbling the whole time, and Sasuke finally threw off the shirt like it had personally insulted him. Blood began seeping sluggishly from the large gash immediately. It made her cringe just to see, the huge cut going from his right shoulder to the opposite hip.

Naruto snickered as she carefully wiped away the blood on Sasuke's back, "Do you have any idea how many of our old classmates would kill to be in this position, here, with you, in the middle of the night, shirtless and at their mercy?"

"But that was never you."

Sasuke's surprising severity in the situation (or maybe it was Naruto's unnatural levity while dealing with open wounds?) sobered her reactions in an instant. "No, it never was."

"Why? Even Sakura and Ino, at first..."

Naruto shrugged where he couldn't see and dabbed clotting agent on his cut carefully. He'd managed to Substitute just in time; any deeper and the wound would have cut into muscle and interfered with his fighting ability. She could have said that she'd just been affected by the same reason that eventually resulted in Sakura and Ino's disinterest: that watching someone snoring just took all the mystery and romance out of the tragically shy hero and, later, poor genius orphan things. She could have told him that it was because she saw the same loneliness in him that she felt herself, how no one wanted to know either of them for who they really were, only because of their families.

In the end, she almost didn't say anything as she gently wrapped the bandages around his chest and back to keep pressure on the slash until it healed. She let her hand rest against the warmth of his back seeping through the bandages, voice quiet in the emptiness of the kitchen, "You can't see shiny things in the dark."

The silence echoed between them when Sasuke spoke, punctuated by a short nod: "You can't see lights in the sunshine."

And they were right back to that place that held only the two of them, Sasuke overshadowed by his own darkness, and Naruto herself overlooked because of the very light she exuded. She leaned her forehead between his shoulderblades, "I'll always be your friend. I took an oath."

In the darkness, they would shine together.

xxx

 **And there you go. Shorter chapter, but full of fluff to compensate. And I shall now lay out the pairings most have probably been wondering about.**

 **SasuFemNaru, Mina(ko)Kashi, and AnkoUsa. There will be no Mamoru in my fic, or if he is, expect him to be an enemy, because I just cannot successfully hide my hatred for him.**

 **I've got the other Study Nine's pairings planned, too. The only one of which I'm revealing for now is... InoSaku. (Yes! Ino and Sakura, having grown out of their Sasuke infatuation and actually measured him by human standards instead of fangirl ones, realize he's not for them, and just how close they are and how much they mean to one another.)**

XXX


	17. A Walk in the Woods - Training Begins!

**And I post a half-hour early again because _fuck midnight_.**

 **Editing and posting these every single day is way more exhausting than I ever thought it would be. I think I'll take a week off after Friday's chapter before posting the final stretch. I just... need a break.**

* * *

They were woken up by Sakura tapping their shoulders. Naruto blinked open storm blue eyes, then realized she'd been leaning on Sasuke's shoulder all night and using him as a pillow- and that he'd been returning the favor with the top of her head. They didn't jerk or pull away, it seemed like forever ago when they'd had their childish spat back in the Academy classroom the day of team assignments. Had it really only been a month? It felt to Naruto like she'd aged so much in the last few days with all the deaths they'd seen.

Neither of them said anything as they yawned and took in their first look of the place in the morning light. ...It had really looked better in the dark of night. Naruto stood up and undid her ponytails, making a face at all the mud caked in the strands. Her team mates didn't look much better. "...I don't suppose we could impose on our hosts for a couple showers?"

Sakura smiled at her, "That's actually why I woke you: Tsunami-san offered her house and all amenities thereof for us as thanks for taking care of her father so well."

"You... you didn't take the first shower before telling us."

Sakura blushed, "No. I... I thought about it, but it didn't seem fair; you two worked so much harder than I did yesterday. Taking the hot water seemed really selfish."

Naruto frowned. That wasn't- She shook her head and set her good hand on Sakura's shoulder, leaning close to the other girl. The pinkette's face started turning red the closer her team mate got, green eyes watching her uncertainly. She yelped when Naruto closed the rest of the distance between them with a sharp headbutt.

"Ah! Naruto! What was that for?!" She held both hands to her forehead, one eye closed as the other watered. Naruto had her headband on still when she'd headbutted her!

The blonde didn't even seem fazed, hand still on Sakura's shoulder, "Don't say such stupid stuff again. Zabuza's clone would have creamed us if it wasn't for you and your earth spikes."

"I barely had the chakra to make a single one to get us up out of the water on my own."

Blue eyes glared at her with all the intense emotion of a violent storm, lightning cracking in the turbulent depths, "Was I useless because I haven't learned a single real Jutsu since we became a team? Sasuke got hurt and his fire techniques overwhelmed, was he useless? We're a team, and we'd have all died back there if we hadn't stuck together. I wouldn't have even been able to fight if you hadn't saved my ass and pulled me under when he broke my arm." Naruto leaned forward again and leaned their foreheads together- much gentler, blue eyes boring into Sakura's surprised green, "You're our team mate, our friend, and we need you. We need you, Sakura."

"I-" She looked away, face heating even further, "Yeah, okay." Sakura took a deep breath and stepped back, pushing her bangs out of her face, her own hair loose after brushing it out and her Hitai-ate off for the moment. "So... who washes off first?"

"You." Sasuke and Naruto answered at the same time, making Sakura jerk in place.

Naruto shrugged and held out her damaged arm, "I need to check this and get it unwrapped either way."

"I'll go last."

Naruto beamed over her shoulder at the Uchiha, "And they say chivalry is dead."

Dark eyes rolled and Sasuke enunciated carefully, "Fire. Jutsu. Training."

Blue eyes closed as Naruto rubbed the back of her head, "Oh, yeah."

Sakura giggled at the both of them and danced backward, "Okay, I'll go take the first shower." She stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked back at them, "And Naruto, Sasuke?" She smiled when she had their attention, "Thank you both- for everything. I couldn't have asked for a better team."

Her laughter drifted back down the stairs in response to the 'Hn' and 'Well, _duh_! I've been saying we're the best since forever!' that followed her up.

Naruto and Sasuke sat down at the kitchen table, and before Sasuke could even open his mouth to enquire about possible breakfast choices, Naruto was imperiously holding out and slightly (very slightly) waving her injured arm, eyes closed and face scrunching the longer he stared incredulously at the appendage. Sasuke viciously cut off his rising snicker to a single surprised 'snirk' shaking his head at the blonde, "You are such a..." Naruto's face scrunched more and she waved her arm a little faster. Sasuke couldn't help his smirk as he grabbed it, "Dobe."

She opened her eyes and beamed at him, "Teme."

He snorted and set to work unwrapping her arm. Their insults didn't even sound like insults anymore. Her skin was the same tan it usually was as he unwrapped more of it, and Sasuke let out a soft breath of relief. Not horrendously bruised, not held close while Naruto tried not to whimper in pain, and _not_ broken in three places. He dug his fingers into the flesh to feel the bone beneath, and found the bumpy unevenness of a healed break. He prodded at the spots, Naruto whining in front of him, but in that 'hurry uuuup' way instead of one that indicated actual pain.

He let Naruto know she was healed by way of handing her the bandages that it was now her responsibility to roll up and put away. She pouted at him but set to rolling them back up, the silence of the early morning peaceful for the both of them and neither felt like breaking it for speech. They could communicate just fine without talking- without sign language, either. Naruto finished her task no more than five minutes later and just looked at him. Without a word of argument, he turned so she could see his back and prod at it.

When it came to Naruto, the girl almost never knew what holding back _was_. Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, gardening; she went full throttle _all the time_ , even in things she didn't have to. In conversations, in relationships, Naruto was present and _there_ in a way that was exhausting just to be around. Few got to see her like she was now, like she had been the night before, the calm before the storm that was Naruto. Something about the early morning or late night just... mellowed her.

It wasn't particularly in her nature, but Naruto _could_ be calm and gentle when the situation really called for it. Sasuke's back called for it. She was outstandingly careful as she poked and prodded at his back, testing for tenderness and placing her hands against it to test for excessive heat that would indicate infection. There was little point in her re-bandaging him when he was just going to need it undone for his shower, and little point in unwrapping him to let him potentially bleed when she was the next one in line to get that bathroom.

With a final poke and a sigh, Naruto pulled back, "No infection that I can tell. It's warm, but then, you always are. Side effect of being a Fire Style specialist. I'll check it again later and put on a few remedies."

They both turned to see a young boy stomp down the stairs and towards the door, "I'm going out!" They both flinched at the resounding _SLAM_ as he went, never noticing the two half-naked teens in his kitchen.

Sakura came downstairs a few minutes later, wrapped in a bath robe and toweling her long pink hair, and looked between them and the front door they were both still watching, "...Something interesting about the door?"

"Kid just waltzed past us and slammed it without ever noticing us."

Sakura frowned and picked up a photo on the stand near by, "This kid?"

"That's the one."

"He must be Tsunami-san's son and Tazuna's grandson."

"The one that was going to cry if we turned back on the mission and let Tazuna get killed by Missing-Nin?"

"The same."

Sasuke summed up her thoughts perfectly, "Hn."

Naruto nodded, "Civilians are weird." No shinobi child, angry or otherwise, would have made so much noise- not without getting thumped, anyway, as Naruto had learned very well. Her mother had never had to discipline her to get her to be sneaky, learning stealth was a proud milestone in every ninja-child's life, especially if they could successfully sneak up on, say, their parents, without being found out. And as understanding and forgiving as Makoto was, Naruto'd have been thumped on the head for making the announcement that _she_ was going out without waiting for permission.

Naruto sighed and got up, stretching her arms high overhead and arching her back until her spine cracked satisfyingly. She blinked at Sakura's blatant staring at her, "...What?"

The pinkette slapped a hand to her own face and drew it downward, "Naruto... who told you it was a good idea to wear a black bra with a white shirt? Better yet, who told you it was a good idea to wear white _at all_? It's not exactly the most shinobi color."

Naruto raised a single blond brow and made a show of looking down at her burnt-orange pants, her matching jacket in the corner, Sasuke's own white shorts, and turned back.

Sakura waved a hand and sighed, "Never mind. Just... go on."

"You are spending way too much time with Ino-nee, your fashionista is showing."

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and go take your shower."

She beamed, "Sure!" She made a trio of Shadow Clones before she went, one to scout around, one to keep an eye on the idiot-child that had left the house when Tazuna and his entire family were the targets of a man with a lot of money and muscle-power, and one to start breakfast.

* * *

Tsunami came down halfway through Naruto's shower, stopping in surprise at the image waiting for her in the kitchen. A blonde was standing confidently at the stove, cooking something that smelled heavenly- certainly with ingredients they hadn't had before because Tsunami knew nothing growing near by smelled that good- a pink-haired girl in a bath robe brushing her hair and chatting with a dark-haired boy... who was half-naked and wrapped in bandages from his shoulders to his waist. She blinked, then regained her composure, "Oh, you're all already awake. I was just coming down to make breakfast."

The blonde grinned hugely at her and waved a dismissing hand, "No problem, we're early-risers-"

"Or else." The other girl muttered.

"-And I've already got it covered, hope you don't mind me using your cookware."

"Oh... no, it's... fine."

Tsunami silently counted the three in the room, then looked up at the ceiling, where she could hear the shower going on the second floor. She knew for a fact that the Jounin was still passed out, so who...?

"Our team mate." The boy answered.

Tsunami could have sworn that the group had been made up of three Genin and one Jounin... She turned around when the sound of the water falling cut off and a blonde came down the stairs. The same(?) blonde that was at the stove. Her head whipped back and forth between the two and she pointed at the one who'd just appeared, "Who...?"

The boy smirked, "Also our team mate."

"Sasuke, don't be a bastard." The one at the stove admonished.

"Nah, that's a personality trait for him." The one by the stairs answered.

Tsunami looked back and forth between them, "Um... names?"

The pink-haired girl smiled kindly, "Sakura Haruno."

"The broody one is Sasuke Uchiha, and _I_ am Naruto Yamanaka, future Hokage!" The stair-blonde announced.

"So am I!" The one by the stove added.

Tsunami held a hand to her head, "How...?"

Both of the blondes grinned at her and answered at the same time, "Ninja~"

"A, ah, what was it called again? A 'Jutsu'?"

"Yep!"

Tsunami looked between the two blondes and took a seat at the table, "I wish I could do that... I can't count how useful it'd be to have two of me."

The Naruto by the stairs moved into the kitchen and pinned Tsunami with a kind smile that nonetheless said she'd never be able to do the least of what the three -four, three...- children in front of her could, "Well... I could show you some basic Taijutsu and chakra exercises, I suppose..."

She smiled and waved off the offer, "Oh, no, that's okay. I'm sure you put years of work into the skills you have now. I'm content being a housewife, ninja isn't really a dream of mine."

Tsunami did her best not to stare when Naruto unwrapped Sasuke and Tsunami got a look at his back as he turned, but she couldn't hold in a gasp. She reached out but stopped herself short of touching, "Are you okay? I'll go get my medical kit."

"Hn." Sasuke left before she could even get up.

Naruto rolled her eyes as he went, "Don't worry, that's Sasuke for 'yes'. ...Also 'no', 'Dobe', and thirty-six other words\phrases. And don't worry so much, we're ninja, that's nothing much. Should have seen us last night."

Tsunami appreciated the blonde's efforts, but that honestly didn't comfort her in the least. _They're just children..._

* * *

Kakashi held up the glass Naruto handed him, "Thanks, this looks really... great." It looked like grass juice with bits of twig floating in it.

The blonde scowled at him, "Drink it. It'll help you heal faster. Just, uh, hold your breath when you do." She turned back around.

He sighed and set the glass down, "Next question: Why are you three facing away from me?"

Naruto flapped a hand at- well, not at him, facing the wall as she was, "Because you'll heal faster if you don't waste chakra doing stupid vanity Jutsu."

Kakashi shook his head and set the tray of food down, "We need to talk."

Naruto tilted her head curiously, "About...?"

"Zabuza is still alive."

The Genin stiffened, "Sakura?"

"It's... possible. Senbon aren't usually killing weapons. And Hunter Ninja destroy bodies on the spot. There are exceptions to both rules, of course, but it is... possible."

Sasuke nodded, facing the door, "Assume yes."

"Plan no." Naruto added. "So you're going to train us, right?" She tilted her head just enough to indicate she was speaking to Kakashi without risk of seeing him.

"So ready for whatever I can put you through?"

All three Genin's shoulders tensed, but Naruto was the one who answered, "At our very best, we were barely able to take down a water clone that -Sakura-chan tells me- was only a tenth as powerful as the guy himself, and we didn't come out of that battle uninjured. I don't like it -the words taste bitter- but we're nowhere near his level. If we're going to face him again, _and_ his ally, we need to be put through the ringer with the hopes we're still breathing when we come out the other side." The other two nodded, Sasuke shortly, and Kakashi could tell Sakura was biting her lip without even seeing it.

He sighed and pulled down his mask, "Very well, then. We'll start training after breakfast."

* * *

Naruto gawked as Kakashi _walked up the tree_ , but the greater part of her understood the basic premise just from what her training and she groaned, " _More_ chakra control exercises? Sensei, I've been doing nothing _but_ for the last month solid."

"And how's that going, Naruto?"

She scuffed her foot in the dirt, "I stopped Zabuza's Clone's tidal wave, didn't I?"

He eye-smiled at her, "Managing to halt the wave of a minor attack by a Water Clone one-tenth the strength of the actual enemy, I'm sure that will be more than adequate facing Zabuza and his friend together, then."

Clash of the Whirling Tides was _not_ a 'minor attack', and Naruto wanted to shout it, but the castigation had gotten through and she sulked. "Hasn't my chakra control improved enough yet to learn a Jutsu?"

Kakashi pinned her in place, "Do you think it has, Naruto? You're no longer a child, an unblooded Genin. You've seen death and you're the best at judging your own skill. Do you think you have enough chakra control to begin learning Jutsu in earnest?"

The reaction to his words was instantaneous and Naruto's whole demeanor just- wilted. Her bangs shadowed her eyes and she trembled at being reminded she'd already been responsible for the death of two people. Sakura took a step forward, hand reaching out towards the blonde, hesitating when Naruto spoke, "How does this excercise work, Sensei?"

"The idea here is to mold chakra to the soles of your feet, creating a connection between yourself and the tree in order to stick, then walk up." Kakashi tossed a trio of kunai at their feet, "Get as high as you can and mark it with the kunai, then try to beat that mark the next time. It's best to do it at a bit of a run, so your momentum will carry you farther up the tree, at least until you get used to it."

"So, what you're saying is: It's harder to walk up the tree from a dead stop than at a run."

"That is correct."

Naruto grinned, "Got it."

The three of them pulled the blades from the ground, spent a moment focusing inward, and ran. Naruto made it about four feet on momentum alone before she lost traction, chakra be damned, and had to push off the trunk or risk falling back on her head. She landed in a crouch and glared at the tree.

She looked over and saw that Sasuke had made it twice as high before the bark of the tree caved under his feet from the pressure of his chakra. They scowled at the bark.

"Hey! This is fun~!"

They both turned, and gawked (or as close as an Uchiha ever got) at Sakura perched a good fifty feet above their heads on a branch nearly level with the one Kakashi-sensei still clung to. Naruto swung her kunai around and approached her tree, staring at it hard. She pulled the blade forward and cut her palm, reaching out to the bark and smearing it with crimson. She reached inward to her chakra and let it flow out, using her blood as a conduit, and tried to figure out exactly how this 'sticking' thing worked. She pulled her hand away from the tree and scowled, putting it back and trying again.

Sasuke watched her and then looked back to his own tree. Slowly, he held out his foot flush with the tree and closed his eyes in concentration.

Kakashi nodded as he watched them. They didn't just learn from each other, they took ideas the others had first and then built their own ideas and theories off of them. That was a good, vital quality in a team. "Sakura."

The pinkette jerked away from watching her team, "Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Since you've got this down, we'll move on to the next step in your personal training. Put on your weights and go through your kata- on the trunk of your tree."

Green eyes widened, "Eh?!"

"Hmm, forty repetitions seems sufficient."

"EH?!"

"Half horizontal and half upside-down."

" _ **EH?!**_ "

He eye-smiled at her, "Better get to work if you want to be done before dinner."

Sakura scowled adorably similar to her team mates, it was so obvious both girls had been around Sasuke too long. The pinkette grumbled as she stood on her branch and unsealed her weights, then stuck to the trunk of the tree and began going through her Katas at half speed. It was an entirely new experience with gravity pulling her _forward_ instead of down, and the difference on her muscles was immediate.

Kakashi nodded, that would help hone her chakra control to a lethal point as she focused on keeping stuck while going through her exercises, and increase her reserves as she both used her chakra and increased her stamina at the same time. But it could be even _more_ effective if her mind kept honed as well...

Sakura squealed and dropped a good three feet before regaining her footing, Kakashi's shuriken having thunked into the trunk just beside her foot. She clung to the tree both by her chakra and a lower branch that she hugged, "What's the big idea, Sensei?!"

"Your form was just a little off. Your foot should be a half-inch further back than that. Go through it again, then we'll see how well you do in a battle situation with it."

Sakura clung to the tree and shook, "You sadist! This is sixty feet off the ground! I could break a bone if I fall!"

Kakashi tilted his head and eye-smiled at her, "There's a simple fix for that, Sakura: Just don't fall."

Naruto and Sasuke both looked up from the ground and sweatdropped. The blonde's voice low, "...I'm not sure how bad I want to master this excercise..."

Sasuke nodded solemnly beside her.

xxx

XXX


	18. Determination - I'll Make My Own Way!

**Chapter 18**

 **Finally (BEGINNING TO) get my writing groove back. Merry Christmas!**

Naruto growled in frustration and punched the tree she'd been attempting to climb, "To hell with this!" She'd been working on it _all_ _day_ and while she'd managed to make her tree grow a good twenty feet and burst into full bloom, she hadn't managed to stick herself to the bark yet.

On his next landing on solid ground, Sasuke saw her fist pressed against the tree, Naruto's whole body shaking in frustration.

"I can't- why...? Why can't I do this?" She was failing yet again, like _always_. Like all the chakra control exercises she had ever tried. Leaf Sticking, River Control, Tree Climbing: she was failing them _all_. It just- none of it made sense to her. She couldn't do it, she couldn't do anything with her chakra without the Kami damned Leylines.

Her hand splayed out on the trunk and her fingers dug into the bark, bleeding sap around the wounds she inflicted. She pressed harder, dug deeper, until her fingers ached and screamed at her, the pressure threatening to rip her fingernails from their nail beds. _Failure... You fucking_ _ **failure**_ _!_

Naruto pulled back and punched the tree again, and then again, and again, each time harder than the last. The impact sent vibrations up her previously-broken arm that she could feel in the healed bones, and her jaw was clenched so tightly her teeth ached.

Sakura had finished this exercise hours ago, and Kakashi had let her eat and sent her off to guard their client for the rest of the day while he rested himself. Sasuke was making progress as well. Not much, as his every line overlapped at least two previous ones, but he always got just a little higher, a little farther.

All... _day_ , and not a lick of progress. Not an inch higher- or not from chakra control. Sheer willpower and physical effort was another matter.

The warmth of Sasuke's hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts, "Naruto..."

The tone of his voice instantly set her on edge. If _Sasuke_ thought she was doing so horridly that he was pitying her instead of nettling her to do better... It was too much.

She threw his arm off and turned away, not letting him see her face, "I'm going to go check on Sakura."

She could almost feel Sasuke's nod, "Hn." The sound of Sasuke's sandals scraping against the tree reached her ears and she knew without him saying that he was going to train for a bit longer before heading back to the client's house.

Naruto ran off her frustrations. _Running away from your problems..._ A darker part of her suggested. Failure left an acrid flavor on the back of her tongue. It wasn't just the Tree Walking, it wasn't _just_ any of it, it was the fact that she had been trying to master chakra control for _years_ and still couldn't do anything. She had _no_ control, none. Anything that took anything less than _everything_ was impossible to her. She could freeze a river in place by supersaturating it in her chakra, glory, and kill every living thing in the water in the process. She could raise a forest on the excess of life energy inside her, but couldn't even stick to a tree trunk.

It wasn't... it wasn't fair. Women were supposed to have better chakra control than men did. Naruto yelped as her foot caught on a root and threw her to the ground. She didn't bother trying to get back up. Her fingers dug into the ground and curled into fists, pressing topsoil into the palms of her hands desperately. _What am I doing?_ The true depths of her lack were breath-taking: here she was, down a two-thirds of her overall chakra, at the end of a month of strenuous training, and having made _no_ apparent progress whatsoever.

She could flood her chakra out into a body of water and hold it still, but that was _all_ she could do. Herself and two clones every single day, that was _three months_ of experience with a _ninth_ of her total capacity and she couldn't do _anything_! She couldn't make the water waver or move or curl against itself at all. Couldn't stick to a tree, couldn't stick a _leaf_ to herself! She'd managed to come up with the idea to alter two Jutsu to make them even more chakra intensive, and managed one Jutsu that she couldn't physically ever do again outside of the Chakra Forest in Konoha.

Was that all she was good for? Was that to be her future? Permanently stationed in the village to be used as a chakra battery? Was that all she was good for? Her skills were non-existent. She had adequate taijutsu, no genjutsu whatsoever, and only the Academy basics or alternatives to them. All she really had was a fuck-ton of chakra that she couldn't do anything with, and an odd ability with plants.

Naruto felt the walls closing in on her again, the gap between her and her friends once more widening into a vast canyon beyond her reach. _Is that all the good I am to anyone?_ Tears slipped from under her closed eyelids and down her whisker-marked cheeks. It was like being back at the Academy again the night of the graduation, watching the rest of her class standing by their friends and families, being praised for something she could never do. Doing without effort something she had wanted and struggled for her entire life.

Being included, keeping her loved ones safe, being accepted: that was all she'd ever wanted.

 _Pathetic... Look at you now, Kyuubi-brat._ She let out a choked laugh. How her tormentors would act if they could see her now. Naruto pushed up to her knees and tilted her head back so she could see the sky, reaching up towards it. _No matter how hard I train, how far I come, my dreams just keep getting further and further away..._ The image of Zabuza's body collapsing flashed through her mind and Naruto's hand dropped.

 _They had watched in awe as their sensei outmaneuvered the enemy and flooded the entire forest with an outstanding vortex of water. Kakashi had pinned the waterlogged shinobi to the trunk of the tree like a butterfly to a board, and while Naruto didn't want to watch another death, she couldn't look away._

 _And then... and then it had been snatched away by that- by that Hunter-nin. Impossibly, in a single second with two senbon, it was over. After an hour of struggle and pain and fear, the Hunter had been able to finish Zabuza off with a flick of their wrist. Naruto couldn't believe it. They... the person behind that mask couldn't have been much older than she was._

 _It shouldn't be possible to do that, to snuff out a life so easily. Zabuza was their enemy just because he'd been hired by someone against them, but he was a worthy opponent, and even though he'd broken her arm, she'd respected his strength, the strength he'd worked years to gain, and all of it just- gone._

 _It was only when Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder to stop her that she realized she'd been walking toward the fallen shinobi, "Naruto."_

 _She shook her head, because it just_ _ **couldn't be possible**_ _. "No. It just- no." What the hell were they doing if this kid, no bigger than her, could bring down an ex-Jounin Commander even Kakashi had struggled with?_

 _Kakashi's hold tightened, "Naruto."_

 _"I can't... I can't just accept this!"_

 _Kakashi's hand moved to her head and ruffled her hair, "Well, even if you_ _ **don't**_ _accept it, it still happened." His voice was as unflustered as ever, not the least bit scolding, and she couldn't understand it. How could he be so calm about this? Kakashi eye-smiled at her, "In this world, there are children younger than you, and yet... stronger than me."_

 _What could she say to that? Naruto looked away, watching as the Hunter moved to Zabuza's body and pulled him over their shoulder, "Your struggle is over for now, I must deal with the remains. Farewell."_

 _Farewell her_ _ **ass**_ _. She wanted to shout after him, to rage at the unfairness of it all. Her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her palms._ _ **But then, life isn't ever 'fair', is it...?**_

 _Kakashi's voice cut through her tangled thoughts, "As shinobi, the things we deal with are never easy. Save your anger... for the next enemy."_

 _Her hands curled tighter._ _ **Because there's always one more enemy, isn't there? Just... damn it all.**_

 _She didn't have any more time to think when Kakashi-sensei collapsed moments later and shelved the whole situation until she could deal with it later._

Naruto sat up and shook her head until she swore she could feel her thoughts rattle inside her skull. It didn't matter! It didn't matter if she was always playing catch-up, and it didn't matter if she had no chakra control, she'd figure out some other way to succeed! Some other way to become Hokage and keep all her loved ones safe. _And I can't very well do any of it laying here pouting, can I?_

She stood up and dusted herself off, running to meet up with Sakura on her guard duty.

* * *

Naruto forced a smile upon her face when she saw her pink-haired friend. Sakura spotted her and waved from her position next to their client. The blonde jogged over to them and both girls fell back a pace to get a modicum of privacy.

"How's your training going?" The wince Naruto gave at the mere mention of her training must have been telling enough and they lapsed into silence.

"...How did your guard shift go? Anything interesting happen?"

Sakura's voice was soft, "Another worker left the site today. It's hard to blame him, he's just scared. Everybody's scared. But still, he left his friend, and I just... I can't comprehend it. I'd give my life for you or Sasuke or Ino without a thought. But the lives of my parents... I just don't know. Everything's so muddled."

Naruto nodded. She'd step up to the line for any of her friends, but dragging others into her fights was a different matter. She wove her fingers together behind her head and sighed, "So where are we going? This isn't the fastest way back to the house."

Her voice was loud enough to carry to their client and Tazuna was the one to answer her, looking back over his shoulder, "You want to eat tonight, don'tcha? We need to go shopping."

Naruto frowned and shrugged, "You're the client, you don't have to worry about us. It's the shinobi's responsibility to be prepared for anything on their mission. We've got enough to last us without forcing your hospitality." And whatever they didn't have she could supplement.

"It's not forced. You're putting yourselves out there to protect me even though it's outside the scope of your mission. My family's hospitality is neither forced nor obligatory."

Naruto didn't say anything else at risk of sounding rude or rejecting. Her shoulders tightened as they entered the town and caught sight of the people there. It was... horrible.

Men and women walking around with signs begging for work (and Naruto couldn't help the flash of frustrated anger at the nameless man who'd left the construction site. For all he was worried about himself and his family, any of these people looked like they'd have killed for the chance to have a job), children on the streets huddled together for warmth, no one looking anyone else in the eye as they passed one another...

A cry of 'thief' came from the left and they looked in time to see a kid escaping around a corner with what looked like a string of onions, no one willing to step in and do anything about it. No one seemed to have any energy, no one seemed to have any willpower.

Naruto and Sakura followed Tazuna through town, but it took effort. The very air seemed saturated with an aura of hopelessness. Sakura glanced from side to side, "What's wrong with this place?"

"It's been like this since Gato got here. Children suffer, and the adults are afraid to stand up to him." Tazuna pulled his hat down farther, "They've lost all hope. _That's_ why we have to finish the bridge. We'll bring commerce and trade, but much more importantly, that bridge is a symbol of courage. We must restore the spirit of our people. When the bridge is finished, people will believe again. They'll believe that they can live a life with dignity. We can't let Gato stop us."

Sakura seemed moved by Tazuna's words. Naruto was less so. "What a load of crock."

Both her friend and their employer turned to her in shock, "What?"

"When the bridge is done, they'll believe they can live a life of dignity. Dignity isn't shown when you get what you want, it's how you behave when everything's falling in on you. It's refusing to let the world get you down when everything is against you. It's refusing to give up when all you want is to lie down and die. _That's_ dignity, and it's not found in the great struggles, it's in the everyday moments." Naruto stopped and flung her arm out, nearly hitting one passing man in the face, "There are children sleeping on the streets, and no one's doing a damn thing about it. These people claim to be poor, to have nothing? What the hell do they have to lose by letting kids shelter in their place for the night? Lost hope, no bridge, having nothing... They're all just excuses. When you've got nothing, there's a lot to go around."

She turned away and ducked into the first grocery, Sakura and Tazuna following silently.

The pickings at the grocery were depressing in their sparsity and Naruto could feel her teammate shifting in discomfort at the vacant stares of most of the people around them. Even the shop-keeper seemed utterly despairing of them buying anything- or maybe having the money _to_ buy anything.

Sakura haltingly picked produce and put it in a basket to take to the counter. The gazes turned on them were filled with envy, anger, and still so, _so_ much sorrow. Naruto shook her head as they exited and walked the streets. Naruto didn't approve of the actions of the adults, but still- "I've never seen anything like this on such a scale before. I've never been so happy to be on a separate team than Neechan."

Sakura raised her head from her sandals, casting her a curious glance, "Why so?"

"Ino-nee is so advanced with the family Jutsu, she can often times read someone's mind without even meaning to. I'm so thankful she isn't here, this would break her heart utterly."

"And it doesn't break yours?"

Naruto stopped walking, Sakura halting next to her, and curled her hands into fists, "Of course not." Naruto knew what it was like to be on the other side of that despair: to know that no matter what you did, nothing would change. You'd still be just as worthless, regardless. And that, she'd discovered, was the key to her freedom. "I'm not heart-broken." Sakura reached out in concern as Naruto started shaking, freezing in place at the look in the blonde's eyes, "I'm _galvanized_. Gato has no idea what he's done here. You just don't fuck with people and push them down this low."

They were beginning to attract attention of the people around them and Sakura stepped closer, "Naruto..."

But Naruto was beyond listening, "You don't do this to people. Not because it's wretched: because when you push someone to the brink, when you take everything away from them... When a person has absolutely nothing left to lose, they have no reason to hold back. You never corner a wounded thing, because it will do _anything_ it has to. Gato is going to regret this."

Sakura looked around and gasped. Naruto didn't even realize what she was doing. All the blank stares that had been aimed their way, all those empty eyes that had been watching them, for the first time since they'd stepped foot from the boat, Sakura saw life in those eyes. Fires waiting to rage from the spark Naruto had just lit.

Naruto's attention was finally drawn from herself at a tug on her pants, she looked down to see watery little eyes gazing back at her, "Food?"

Sakura flinched, looking down in their sparse basket. Naruto smiled down at the little one and patted her head, "Sakura, give me the apple." Hesitantly, she handed it over, then watched as Naruto knelt on the ground, "Want to see some magic?"

Cautiously, the urchin nodded. Sakura wondered if it was just self-preservation, because she was fairly sure that the child really only wanted the food, and would agree to just about anything in the hopes of getting it.

Naruto cleanly split the fruit without even a kunai, then placed it on the ground and held her hand over it, "Watch."

Sakura backed up silently, already knowing what Naruto was going to do. It was unwise, it was at the very least inconvenient to do it in the middle of the square, it went completely opposite to the shinobi creed of stealth and subterfuge. And yet, she couldn't fault the blonde. Sakura didn't have the heart to stop her.

A slight breeze picked up as Naruto began to channel her chakra, the little girl gasping as the blonde began to glow with inner light. The rest of the townspeople stared at them warily, but Sakura really, truly doubted anyone would do anything if either of them grabbed the girl or struck her or... anything. These people were too worn down to care, even with the spark Naruto had lit.

Gasps and murmurs of shock sounded around them as Naruto's chakra poured out into the now-growing plant under her palms, a small, tender shoot taking root between her fingers and reaching haltingly towards the sky. Sakura echoed Naruto's smile as the fragile sprout began to shoot up, drinking in the plentiful energy the blonde had to spare. The little girl's eyes sparkled as she watched the spectacle, sapling and kunoichi both glowing a golden-white, Naruto's palm flat against the trunk of the expanding tree as it spread its branches over them, just above their heads and still growing.

The whiskered girl's smile itself grew, a grin in its place as the tree matured, its roots, so tender and unsure when she'd started, digging deep into the ground for nutrients, anchoring itself firmly. This was not a simple tree that would be toppled with a strong wind or bit of rough play, this was one that would stand strong with a great canopy and deep roots.

Everyone around them stared in silence, but it was no longer in wary apathy: there was not a single mouth not dropped open in awe, including Tazuna's. Sakura smiled softly and held her clasped hands in front of her chest she saw the tears of joy and wonder several people were giving in to. She couldn't hold in a gasp herself as the tall tree burst into bloom, pale, sparkling flowers blossoming in colorful little explosions like fireworks, also glowing brightly.

They were gathering quite the crowd as some ran off to tell others and more people poured in to see just what was so fantastic, stopping dumb-stuck at the towering tree that had grown in their main square in a matter of minutes. Children wove in and out of the adults to get closer with the bravery of the young, laughing as the petals began dropping and blowing about the area in the gentle breeze. They ran and squealed, playing chase and trying to gather as many petals as they could. The adults were more surprised and focused on the branches as they began dipping from the weight of their new-grown bounty.

Sakura stood near her team mate and trembled as she heard the sobs coming from those behind her, the motion beginning at her spine and spreading out. She understood why Naruto herself had been shaking just before: the sheer overwhelming emotion made her close her eyes for a moment as others broke out in tears. She opened her eyes and reached up, cupping her hands around one of the heavy, softball-sized apples, gently plucking it from its branch as another grew near-by, emerald leaves shaking as the branch shook and the ruby fruit stopped glowing.

Sakura knelt on the ground in front of the little girl who had asked them for food and held out the huge apple, "Here you go." She offered, her voice thick with emotion.

The little girl, whose gaze had been just as bleak as those around, looked up at her with wonder in her eyes and gave Sakura an enormous smile as she took the offering, "Thank you, pretty ladies~!"

Sakura sat back on her heels and held a hand against her chest, the spot feeling tight and yet lighter than air at the simple thanks. She leaned back to watch the last of the growth as Naruto finished, the tree heavy with its load, practically more red than green with all the apples on it. She stood up with Naruto, her team mate sharing a quiet smile with her that showed so much and, for a moment, as Sakura looked at Naruto lit by the last remaining glow of the leafy canopy behind her, she thought she finally understood her.

Then she reached up and plucked one of the apples, turning around and tossing it to the closest person, who caught it on reflex alone, staring at it in surprise. Naruto beamed, "Well? Go on~! Someone else, help me pass these out: there's enough for everybody."

Sakura reached up as well, picking those she could reach and passing them out to the children who'd been running around. After a few minutes, one of the village women stepped forward and plucked an apple, hesitating for a moment before turning away and holding it out to the closest person behind her. The man in question looked surprised, then smiled softly and thanked her, turning away and handing it to someone else before stepping up to help pass them out.

Naruto urged them on, "Share and share alike. Don't be afraid to take more than one, take lots, take them back to your family and friends." She turned towards the grocery, "Hey! Excuse me! Could we buy some baskets, please? We need some carrying help."

The shop-keeper startled at being addressed, but, when Naruto's smile didn't let up as she waited, nodded and smiled back tentatively, "S-sure."

* * *

Tsunami glanced at the clock worriedly as Sasuke trailed in without his blonde teammate, noting that her father and his own kunoichi escort had yet to return, either.. Kakashi noticed from where he was leaning, "Something wrong, Tsunami-san?"

"The girls aren't back yet. I'm worried about them."

"I'm sure my students can handle anything they come across." He closed his book, "Buuuut, I think I'll go check on them just to be safe."

"The market is just off the main square, father would have stopped there on the way home. They can't have gotten lost."

"I'm sure it's nothing. We'll be back in a little bit."

* * *

Kakashi spun in place on his good leg, crutches up, having almost tripped over a flock of children going by him in a rush, giggling as they ran. He hummed thoughtfully and continued on. "Odd... I hadn't thought the mood of the village good enough for such games..."

He was outright shocked when a pair of woman talking animatedly and at ease looked over at him and smiled, waving as he went.

Naruto laughed with her team mate as Sakura spun around with a shallow basket of apples on her head, keeping them up out of reach of little grabby hands, "Nope~! These ones are for the baker down the street."

"I wanna help!"

"No, me! I can carry it!"

Trying to find a way to move without letting the little ones down, Sakura looked around a bit desperately. Naruto, thankfully, got the message, "Hey! Doesn't anyone want to help _me_? I'm hurt! Come on, gather 'round and I'll show you something cool." Sakura gave a thankful smile as Naruto took all the kids' attention by juggling some more apples. The adults looked on with indulgent smiles, sending some of the children off on errands to keep them out from underfoot.

Freed of her crowd of admirers, Naruto turned to several people waiting near-by and grinned, "Don't forget to dry them so they last. There's lots of sweet dishes you can make with dried apples. Here, someone give me a bit of paper or wood." She was handed a plank and pulled out a kunai, carving a few recipes into the wood. The townspeople around her, who had been so flighty before, didn't even twitch at the sudden appearance of the weapon, housewives asking more questions without ever flinching.

"Thank you so much, Naruto-sama."

"Aw, it's no problem. Thank my mother for teaching me. Oh! And don't forget the petals! Sugared apple blossom petals are the best thing for any sweet tooth." She turned around to where a huge pot had been set up in the middle of the square, some concoction bubbling away inside it.

Whatever it was, it smelled divine. Kakashi watched the activity around the square, unable to move. He blinked. Children laughing, adults chatting amicably, smiles on almost every face, and when they saw him and his hitai-ate, they all waved happily. Kakashi was... stunned, to say the least.

He caught a flash of pink out of the corner of his eye and turned, "Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl turned away from where she was talking with someone else, "Oh, Kakashi-sensei!" she looked back at her companion and said a quiet "Good bye~" before trotting over to join him.

"What is all this?"

She looked around, smiling, "Oh, well... We went shopping. It was terrible, and this little girl came up to us and begged for food, and then she- Naruto, that is -she did that thing she does with chakra and, well, you have to come see for yourself."

Kakashi motioned them forward and Sakura led him to the square. The despair that had hung in the air like an encroaching smog was gone, replaced by an atmosphere of ease and friendliness. Kakashi looked around and didn't see the flinty, steeled looks in the eyes of the people anymore. They caught sight of Naruto standing in a knot of women crowded around her, grinning as she answered questions, balanced on one leg with her hands behind her head. He blinked at the enormous tree in the middle of the square, "That wasn't there before."

Sakura shrugged, suppressing a grin that made her lips twitch, "Naruto." was all she said.

Kakashi shook his head and smiled beneath his mask. "Yeah, that about covers it."

* * *

Tsunami pushed up from the table when everyone entered, "You're all okay! I was so worried."

Naruto stepped up to her, "Say, Tsunami-san, do you have a garden?"

She blinked down at the energetic blonde, "No. One one around here does. The ground isn't fertile enough."

Naruto grinned at her, "Would you like one~?"

xxx


	19. The Land where a Hero Once Lived

If there was one thing Sakura never got tired of, it was watching Naruto and Makoto work their magic, in the gardens or in the kitchen. It was the one place where Naruto never doubted herself, and it was mesmerizing to watch her move with such calm assurance. Plants sprouted at her feet and turned toward her like she was the sun, and she slotted so comfortably in Tsunami's kitchen, perfectly at ease working around and with the older woman. Sakura felt clumsy just washing the vegetables Naruto had grown and Tsunami had harvested.

She was used to that: feeling not quite at home in her own skin. It was something she'd become used to over the years. With her parents both constantly away on missions, her house had never quite made the transition to home, and she'd never been comfortable to talk to her parents about her problems. Problems like being picked on at school for her hair. Kami, she'd hated her hair when she was young, had taken a spare kunai to it herself and tried to cut it all off because if she was just more _normal_ maybe the other kids would like her more, would include her just a little.

Her attempts had only gotten them to add 'sheepdog' to the long list of names they already called her. Obviously, she was never going to make the cut no matter what she did. The realization, that she was never going to be good enough for those girls, for _friends_ , more than any of the nasty things they called her, was what drove Sakura to tears.

And there had been Naruto, bright like the sun even then, with Ino at her shoulder, coming to the rescue. She drew people toward her the same way she did flowers, warm and open. A little too much for Sakura, actually. But Ino, Ino was good. Fierce and protective without being so completely _inexhaustible_ as her sister. Calmer, and Sakura hadn't known flowers before meeting them, but for Ino, for _friendship_ , she learned, because Ino smiled when she pointed out flowers correctly, and that was worth the hours spent up late at night memorizing.

"Sakura-chan?" She looked up and found Naruto focused on her. "Are you okay?"

She looked down and realized she'd scrubbed the skin clear off the potato she'd been washing. She shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, just lost in thought, I guess. I'm fine. Just, you know, maybe don't give me any of the knife jobs."

Naruto grinned at her and nodded. "Sure thing!"

She dried off her hands and stepped aside, out of the way of the cooks, folding her arms and leaning against the corner to keep watch on the room. The picture on the far wall caught her attention, and Sakura stepped closer to inspect it. It was the same photo she'd noticed that morning when Inari had stormed from the house. "This photo looks like it's torn. Was there someone else in it once?" Tsunami and Tazuna both stiffened and Sakura backpedaled desperately. "Oh, never mind. It's none of my business, really."

Tsunami took a deep breath and smiled over her shoulder. "No, it's alright. That's my husband."

"Kaiza," Tazuna explained. "Inari's father. He wasn't his birth father, but he was a father in every way that counted. And he was a hero."

"He started off a hero," Tsunami refuted, "he became a legend. The very first day he saved Inari's life. Inari adored him from the first. He fit into our family like a missing puzzle piece that we were all just waiting to find."

"Inari never knew his father, so you can imagine how much it meant to him for Kaiza to be there. He was just a simple fisherman, but he was the bravest man I've ever known. We live in the Land of Waves, weather here can be unpredictable. Seasonal floods are a given, but that year the rains were torrential, waters rose to unprecedented levels and broke through all efforts to hold them back."

"The docks were underwater," Tsunami recounted. "The fields were underwater. Half of the first floor was underwater, and the rain just kept coming."

"The tides washed out the south gate and we were sure we were going to lose half the town. We needed to get a line across the water way to have a hope of closing it, but those rapids were impossible to cross. Except Kaiza didn't believe in words like 'impossible'. He believed in protecting what's precious to you no matter the cost, even if you have to put your life on the line. 'Protect your precious things with your own two arms,' he would say. He tied the rope around himself and swam across on his own and got the line anchored so we could all pull the gate closed."

Sakura let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Naruto's smile was bright, proud and satisfied like she was one of those who'd been waiting on the shore for Kaiza.

"Kaiza was our hero, and Inari was so _proud_ to be his son."

"And then Gato came." Tsunami set down the knife she was using and covered her face with her hand. "He took over, and my Kaiza was the only one willing to stand up to him."

Tazuna removed his glasses, tears dotting the tabletop. "Gato broke those proud arms. He tied Kaiza to a cross as an example to everyone what would happen if they stood up to him. His thugs executed him. Inari saw it. He hasn't laughed or smiled since that day."

Sakura covered her mouth with her hands. "I'm so sorry. Please excuse me."

She shook with the force of her emotions and hugged herself as she tried to get herself under control. The cool night air didn't do anything for her. She was so _angry_. The strength of her fury surprised her and she did her best to get a leash on it.

It was something that had been repeated to her over and over again through her childhood. Training as a Kunoichi, Sakura had to be careful not to lash out when she got upset because she had access to so many more _ways_ to hurt someone than a civilian child had.

She had lost her temper, once, and thrown a hair brush at another girl who'd said she would never amount to anything. She had broken skin and left a large knot on the girl's head. She'd been ashamed of her reaction and swore to get her anger under control. That had lasted until the girl's friends cornered her in the stairwell the next day and began pushing her around. She'd lashed out then, too. Only it hadn't resulted in a lump on the head.

That girl had tumbled down two flights of stairs, broken three fingers and her ankle. Even then, Sakura had known she had to do more to end the bullying. She had to win more than the fight in front of her; she had to win all the ones after that as well. So she'd straightened up, refused to show how horrified she was, had threatened them that next time it wouldn't be a broken ankle, it'd be a leg, or their _neck_. The girls had fled before her, they'd never bothered her again after that. But they weren't the only ones who'd been scarred.

Terrified of what she could do when pushed too far, Sakura had taken to focusing on more mental pursuits. A cutting tongue was just as satisfying as a physical response, but she never had quite gotten over the realization of the power she wielded.

She held up her hand and flexed her fingers. _Even now..._ She still pulled her hits in spars, some deep part of her recoiling at the chance of ever again causing such harm by accident. She sniffed. _Some Kunoichi I am. Afraid to hurt someone accidentally and paid to hurt them on purpose._

Ino understood her, had been the one Sakura cried all her fears out to. Naruto couldn't understand in quite the same way, hadn't ever come up against a wall she didn't try to break through on her own, and Hinata would try going under or around a wall and then question if she had to over it at all. But Ino was willing to give her a boost until Sakura could pull herself up.

She wondered, standing there and shaking with impotent rage, if maybe she just hadn't been quite motivated enough to get over that wall on her own. For some reason, it didn't seem like quite as big an obstacle as it had before. She _wanted_ to hit someone, to hurt them. How _dare_ Gato rip this poor family apart. The children in the market, that little girl; Inari, Tsunami, Tazuna. The list of his victims stretched longer than the bridge he was trying to stop. For them, for all those too weak to stand up to Gato themselves, Sakura vowed not to pull a single one of her punches.

No calmer, but far more determined, she went back inside and helped finish preparing dinner.

* * *

Naruto's good semaritanism and her earlier disappointments only fueled her appetite and she and Sasuke dug into their dinners like ravenous wolves, all manners forgotten. Kakashi's sole experience at the Yamanaka Compound hadn't been an abnormality: Sasuke and Naruto lost sight of everything when they were on a training kick.

With years of experience, Sakura ate calmly, completely ignoring her team mates, eyes closed and carefully not looking to her right when she opened them. The rest of the table stared in horrified fascination.

Tazuna cleared his throat. "This is delicious, Tsunami."

"Th-thank you, Father. I couldn't have done it without Naruto's help." Naruto paused in the middle of shoveling rice into her mouth to give the older woman a thumbs-up before going back to her meal.

Kakashi sighed. "Don't puke, you two. You know how much this meal means."

"We won't," Naruto assured. Sasuke grunted confirmation.

"Oh, they won't," Sakura muttered ominously. "Trust me." In six years, she hadn't known Naruto to eat so fast she puked ever. The other teen had gotten lessons from Choji, she was convinced. The blonde was the only one in the village that could out-eat the Akamichi on ramen, Sakura was certain they had passed on the secret to swift eating for managing the feat.

The two finished their first course and held out their dishes in perfect sync. "More, please!"

Tsunami laughed at them both. "Have as much as you like. There's no compliment like asking for seconds."

Naruto beamed at her, face covered with stray rice grains. "Thank you!" She got into a chopstick battle with Sasuke when they both reached for a roasted mushroom at the same time. Naruto's smile turned predatory. "I'm the one who cooks while traveling." Such a pleasant tone of voice really shouldn't have been so threatening.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes but wisely retreated. Tension diffused, they both disappeared behind their bowls again.

Sakura hid her own amused smirk behind her cup. They never changed, they'd fought over treats the same way when they were children. She finished her own meal long before the others. "Thank you, Tsunami-san, for everything. The use of your kitchen, your shower, your spare rooms, dinner."

"No trouble at all. It's been so long since we've last had guests. I've forgotten how exciting it can be. And it's hardly been a strain with any of you! The garden, the house help, and of course protecting my father. If anything, I should be thanking you."

"What's the point of thanking anyone? They're just gonna die, anyway."

Silence dropped over the table like a pall and Sakura's mouth dropped open at the sheer _audacity_. "Inari!" Tsunami scolded.

Tazuna waved his hand. "No, no, it's fine. I'm rude to them, too."

"Then you should be scolded, too!"

Naruto set her bowl down with a _thump_. "We're _not_ going to die on this mission. I have promises to keep."

Inari scoffed. "Promises don't mean anything. You're all just going to die."

Sakura could hear her team mate's teeth grinding. "Look, I know you've lost a lot-"

"You don't know anything!" Inari screamed. "You don't know our pains! What we've gone through! All we've lost! You come in here and think you're so much greater than us, that you can do better than the best! But you don't know anything of our pain! You just-"

The crack echoed around the room in the sudden silence it caused. Every eye was on Naruto as she stood over the young boy, his hand to his reddening cheek where she'd slapped him soundly. His dark eyes teared up as she fell to her knees and then pulled him firmly to her chest, his struggling against her nothing to a trained kunoichi's strength. A pin could have been heard dropping as Naruto hugged him, resting her cheek atop his head. "You stupid, foolish little boy. You can't just do that. One person's pain can't be weighed and measured against another's. All pain stands on its own. The pain of the person who loses their father; is that really worse than the orphan who didn't know their parents at all? They never had that pain, but they didn't have the good parts, either, do they balance out?"

Inari said nothing, either too shocked or too wary of being hit again.

Naruto went on, "What, precisely, do you think is Gato's strength that makes him so unbeatable? Tell me, why exactly do you think we're doomed to die?"

"Because he's stronger-"

" _Why_?"

"Be-because he's got power."

"What power? What power does he have that we don't?"

"People! He's got lots of other ninja and- and..." Inari trailed off, and Naruto smiled down at him.

"That's right, Inari: Gato's got _people_. That's the only strength he has: the strength of others. He's powerless on his own. A small man with a big ego.

"Your father died not because he wasn't good enough, but because he stood on his own. We don't have to be _better_ than even the best, because we have our team mates to fall back on." Naruto's blue eyes locked with Sasuke's, then Sakura's as Inari broke down and cried into her shoulder. "We are only ever as alone as we allow ourselves to be."

They both got up and joined her, Sakura running her fingers through the distraught child's hair. "We are Leaf Ninja. Even on our own, we face no enemy alone."

xxx


	20. My Wings Are Wet But Watch Me Fly

**Inspiration for this chapter goes to Ravenclaw Slytherin.**

* * *

Sasuke found Inari up on the roof, looking out over the sleeping forest and broken town.

The younger boy looked up at him, then turned back out to the depressing sight in front of him thoughtfully. He sat down next to the child and remained silent. One thing he had learned over the years was how people hated silence, and not speaking had gotten him more answers in his life than asking questions ever had.

True to form, the child couldn't tolerate the quiet for long and spoke into his knees. "How does she do it? What pain does _she_ know?"

Sasuke snorted in amusement, because so much of the pain the blonde went through was an exact reflection of his own. It was part of the reason they'd ever bonded, that and the inexplicable parts of her personality that were just _Naruto._ He looked up towards the cloudy night sky, not bothering to hide his smirk. "I used to wonder the same thing."

 _He couldn't have said how it started. It had happened so fast. One moment he had been walking through town toward the docks to get away from his family for a while, and the next he'd heard an achingly familiar voice crying out in pain. But he couldn't pinpoint the exact sequence of events from that point that had landed him where he was: standing in front of a hurt and bleeding Naruto Yamanaka with a kunai in his hand and a glare of absolute_ _ **death**_ _aimed at the group of adults that had been hurting her moments before._

 _Naruto was his- well, he wasn't certain exactly what she was to him, but whatever she was was important, and these assholes had been_ _ **hurting**_ _her! At least one of them had to be drunk to not recognize Sasuke's Uchiha features, taking an aggressive step forward. The fool froze in place when Sasuke met his gaze with a look that shouted 'I will_ _ **kill**_ _anyone that touches her!'_

 _Sasuke couldn't have pinpointed exactly how it had happened, but there were only so many ways the situation could play out from here. Mob mentality: if that fool actually stuck for him, he was going to have to put his fledgling shinobi skills to practice and fight a way out for both of them. On the other side of the same process, there was the chance one of the others would realize that one of their fellows was about to attack an_ _ **Uchiha**_ _, and one didn't_ _ **touch**_ _an Uchiha without their permission if they wanted to see the light of day again out from behind prison bars, they might subdue him and drag him away in the hopes the issue would be forgotten. Sasuke wasn't going to inform them that he would never forgive grown fucking adults for attacking a_ _ **child**_ _, him being a child himself completely aside._

 _Multiple possibilities raced through his mind as he tensed for whatever was about to happen. He'd anticipated a lot of reactions from Naruto herself: crying, indignation at them daring to touch a Yamanaka daughter of the main house, gratitude at his protection. He had_ _ **not**_ _anticipated exasperation at his rescue. He didn't anticipate the warm hand on his shoulder that made him relax on instinct and turn his head to see her while keeping the drunk in his periphery._

 _When she had his attention, Naruto put her hands on her hips, completely ignoring the rill of blood trailing down her temple, and glared at him. "I can stab them myself, Sasuke, move your butt."_

 _Sasuke's incredulity dragged him right out of the rising fury he'd been working towards ever since he first heard Naruto's cry of pain. He blinked disbelievingly at her, and only then noticed her own kunai clutched in one of her hands. Naruto's words broke the tension and, in the face of not one but_ _ **two**_ _fledgling shinobi-in-training from prominent clans, the group fled, the drunk not so brave without backup standing with him._

 _Naruto's voice followed them as they fled, "Yeah! You_ _ **better**_ _run!" She turned to him, crossed her arms, and pouted. "I totally had them."_

 _Sasuke didn't bother to point out her bruises or the cut still sluggishly leaking blood, his expression immediately falling into the familiar scowl. "What are you even doing out here alone, you idiot?" Because Sasuke was physically incapable of normal social interactions. He wanted to flick his own forehead but held his expression firmly._

 _The blonde gave way instantly, digging the toe of her shinobi-grade sandal into the dirt. "I just... I had to get away." She glanced up at him through her bangs before dropping her eyes back to the ground, and Sasuke couldn't say anything against her, because wasn't that the exact same reason he himself was out so late? He could hardly scold her for something he was guilty of as well, but he didn't have to be happy about it._

 _Sasuke grabbed her hand, expression black at the hiss of pain she let out even though he didn't hold_ _ **hard**_ _, and dragged her along with him to his contemplation spot. Naruto was quiet the rest of the way and when they arrived, even after he let go to sit at the end of the dock and dangle his feet out over the water. The river was so still here that it had a glassy-clear surface and, as consequence, looked like a field of stars reflected from the night sky above._

 _It was Sasuke's retreat, the place he always went to when being around his family became too much. It helped remind him that even when the Uchiha clan seemed like the only thing in the whole world, there were bigger things out there. Sasuke didn't bother to look at his blonde companion, keeping track of her by the sounds of her rustling through the bushes by the shore. Eventually, she sat down next to him with a stack of various plant parts and set about tearing them up and applying them to her multitude of injuries. Seeing her apply the sap of one to a scrape, Sasuke plucked up one that looked exactly the same and dabbed it on the still-seeping cut on her temple until the blood flow slowed and finally stopped._

 _When he pulled away, he found himself staring directly into storm blue eyes, glassy themselves, and Naruto's voice came out like a whisper through the trees, "I don't know why they hate me so much..."_

 _Sasuke didn't know, either. When Naruto was out with her friends -_ _ **their**_ _friends?- or family, he'd noticed how she stayed close to the group, and when her parents weren't present or the group was small enough, angry glares and frigid stares followed her every step._

 _She finished with her first aid and pulled her knees up. "Just picked a bad day to be born, I guess." As if the Kyuubi attacking on Naruto's birthday was somehow her fault. The village was full of morons._

 _Without thinking about it, Sasuke ran a hand through the blonde's bangs, double-checking the cut for lack of anything to say. He didn't know how to comfort people, and telling her that the village was full of morons wasn't liable to make her feel any better. The small wound had stopped bleeding, but it had been pretty deep, it was probably going to scar, but it'd be all but unnoticeable hidden almost in her hairline as it was. "People are idiots."_

 _She sniffled and tried to smile for him. "But you call me an idiot, too."_

 _"Different kind of idiot," he didn't hesitate to say._

 _Naruto's smile looked immediately less forced and she even giggled wetly before wiping her face with her sleeve. Sasuke sat back beside her and stared out at the starfield without seeing it, focusing on the blonde from the corner of his eye._

 _"I'll show them." He turned to look at her, and Naruto continued, sitting up straighter, "The village idiots. I'll show them all. And- and the clan, too. I'll show them that I'm_ _ **not**_ _useless, I'll show them that I can be just as good as Ino-nee." Sasuke didn't say anything, but inside, he cheered for her, for their shared struggle of being seen as worthy by their families, at the burning_ _ **need**_ _to be just as good as an older sibling. "I'll show them all: I'm going to be the Hokage some day." She turned to him, storm blue eyes reflecting the starry night around them. "Believe it!"_

 _Sasuke did._

The curve of his lips softened until his expression could almost be called a smile- almost. And Sasuke snorted again and chose to answer Inari's question: "Naruto's strength doesn't come from her physical abilities." She could still rarely ever beat him in a taijutsu match. "And it doesn't come from her 'fancy Jutsu'." No, it certainly didn't come from that. Countless times over their lives he'd watched her struggling with techniques while everyone around her seemed to catch onto them simply enough. It wasn't borne of patience, either, because Naruto had next to none to begin with. No patience for book learning or lessons -for example, her pestering of their Jounin sensei- or the stillness being a shinobi required. Sasuke shook his head fondly. "Naruto's strength comes from one thing only." Inari was hanging on his every word: "Her sheer, unwavering determination to _never give up._ Naruto is the class dead-last, she constantly failed at tasks we were given, exercises we were made to do. But she never - _never_ \- let herself give up. _That_ is the source of her strength, not that she doesn't ever fall, but that she never stays down."

Sasuke had once come across a saying that described his blonde teammate perfectly: 'Always stand up one more time than you're knocked down.' Naruto always did.

xxx


End file.
